cherry on the cake ADVICE FOR QUALITY PLANNING

OF YOUTH EXCHANGES

YOUTH IN ACTION
The Erasmus+ Programme incorporates the achievements of more than 25-years of history of
EU programmes in the field of education, vocational training and youth. It aims at encouraging
new synergy and cooperation among different fields with the goal of making the EU the big-
gest knowledge-based, sustainable and inclusive economy. The new Programme combines,
within its broad framework, various EU programmes from the fields of education, training and
youth, with the addition of sport.

The Programme is divided into three large areas, according to content and the possibilities
they offer:
• Education and Training, including the Jean Monnet Programme
• Youth
• Sport

As one of two National Agencies of the Erasmus+ Programme in Slovenia, Zavod MOVIT ma-
nages the area of youth, which is promoted in the Programme under the trademark ‘Erasmus+:
Youth in Action’. Zavod MOVIT hosts the SALTO-YOUTH South East Europe Resource Centre,
which promotes cooperation with the Western Balkan region in the frame of the Erasmus+:
Youth in Action Programme. Along with the general objectives of the Programme, the youth
chapter pursues in particular the objectives of the renewed framework for European coope-
ration in the youth field (2010–2018). The Programme encourages learning mobility of young
people in the context of youth work, contributes to quality development in youth work and the
development of youth policies on all levels. Within this framework, it supports in particular the
inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. Along with other general competences,
it underlines the expectation of language learning for participants and that the experiences
acquired will be duly registered and assessed with a Youthpass – the Programme’s instrument
for recognising and evaluating the benefits of non-formal learning within Programme activities.

The measures of the Programme in the field of youth are arranged in the following three key
actions:
• Key Action 1: Learning mobility of individuals
• Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
• Key Action 3: Support for policy reform

Information about application deadlines, application forms and instructions are available on
the website of the European Commission and with the National Agencies of the Erasmus+
Programme.
ADVICE FOR QUALITY PLANNING
OF YOUTH EXCHANGES
 foreword
The Erasmus+ Programme sets its objectives
on a high level. This is with respect to the
expected number of participants in the Pro-
gramme and – maybe even more so – to the
expected outcomes of cooperation in the dif-
ferent opportunities offered to young people by
the Programme. This is defined by different EU
area policies and, of course, one of the EU’s
key documents – the Europe 2020 strategy.
The youth field – or rather the youth sector –
in particular pursues the objectives set forth by
the renewed framework for European cooper-
ation in the youth field 2010–2018, adopted in
November 2009. Through its financial capacity,
which increases every year, the Programme will
provide an ever greater number of opportuni-
ties for young people’s participation in learning
mobility projects, especially in youth exchanges
and the European Voluntary Service.
YOUTH EXCHANGES AS A FORM
OF NON-FORMAL LEARNING
IN YOUTH WORK
Youth exchanges are a unique exception
among learning mobility activities supported
by the Erasmus+ Programme. In most learning
activities, the period of learning normally cor-
responds to the duration of the participant’s
stay abroad for the learning process. This is the
principle followed by the European Voluntary
Service (EVS). The individual visits a host organ-
isation outside their home country and most of
the learning offered by EVS is limited to the stay
and work with the host organisation.
With youth exchanges, the learning period
extends much further than just the youth ex-
change activity itself where all the participating
groups of young people meet. The period of
learning opportunities within a youth exchange
span from the early drafts of the exchange ap-
plication and last until the very end of the proj-
ect. Moreover, one of the youth groups – the
host group – does not even leave their country.
This is why youth exchanges are an exception-
al form of youth work. The activities of an indi-
vidual youth group in its local environment are
linked with the international space for several
months. The youth exchange is a cooperation
of different youth groups from different coun-
tries for the purpose of the project, including
the main event – a week or more spent living
and working together.
Youth exchanges are considered a traditional
form of group youth work. In a way, it can be
compared to the work of Scout groups, where
the start of the season corresponds with the
start of the school year, while the season ends
with a camp in the summer of the next year.
Youth exchanges offer many moments that help
the informal learning of the participating young
people. Their true value as a learning instru-
ment, however, only comes to light when they
are set in the context of non-formal education.
Youth exchanges in themselves offer struc-
tured space for the learning process. Estab-
lishing such a learning process, in the context
of non-formal learning, requires the setting of
clear learning objectives since it is hard to plan
the learning path through the whole process
without them.
The reason why the Erasmus+ Programme
continues to support youth exchanges lies ex-
actly in their capacity to enable the process of
non-formal and informal learning to take place.
The learning should contribute to the boosting
of the different competences of the participants,
as well as to the fostering of European citizen-
ship, and the strengthening of social inclusion
for all young people.
THE BROADER FRAMEWORK
OF YOUTH EXCHANGES
The Erasmus+ Programme also supports youth
exchanges because they offer an opportunity
for learning about the different realities in differ-
ent parts of the European Union and for learn-
ing about the reasons for our similarities and
differences. Furthermore, they offer young peo-
ple an opportunity to discuss about the future
of the European Union and their expectations
of it. This includes the possibility for explora-
tion of the possible and necessary contribu-
tions of young people to creating a European
Union that will really be seen by the citizens as
their own community. This is why the Erasmus+
Programme primarily supports exchanges with
groups from Programme countries, although
it remains open for cooperation with partners
from neighbouring partner countries.
The dimension of ‘youth exchanges’ in previous
European Union programmes was one of the
key roots for the creation of the first European
Union programme for youth in 1987. Under the
name ‘Youth for Europe’, it linked the youth ex-
changes within the Programme to the political
goals of the then European Community.
Youth exchanges also offer an opportunity of
impact on the development of the local commu-
nity. The topic and content of a youth exchange
can be related to current challenges of young
people in a local community or to challenges of
that particular community as a whole. Youth ex-
changes can potentially offer answers to such
challenges. The young people who are from
other communities who are participating in the
youth exchange may bring with them examples
of good practice from their environment. These
examples could support new responses to any
challenges being faced in that community and
at the same time raise the awareness and rec-
ognition of youth work in that community.
Moreover, a youth exchange can also serve
as an opportunity to integrate the activities of
a youth group within the broader framework of
its local community. Cooperation of groups of
young people from twinned towns is an excel-
lent example of such incorporation that can be
supported by the local community. With this ap-
proach, the relevance of a youth exchange in
all participating local communities can easily be
assured, since – if recognised by the local au-
thorities – they can also count on better place-
ment of the activities in local policies.
BETTER VISIBILITY FOR THE
RESULTS OF YOUTH EXCHANGES
Sadly the results of young people’s participa-
tion in a youth exchange often remains unseen.
Whether we are talking about the acquired or
strengthened personal competences of partic-
ipants or the impact of activities on the broader
environment of the participating youth groups.
An important reason for this is insufficient focus
on the visibility of results.
A good example can be seen in the impact
of non-formal learning on the participants. On
the one hand, we all know there has been an
impact, but on the other, rarely anyone outside
the circle of those directly involved is aware of
this. There is much talk about the necessity of
recognising the results of non-formal educa-
tion and about the importance of the impact
of non-formal learning on an individual. How-
ever we rarely make any steps toward greater
recognition and the valuing of these effects.
On a very basic level it can be enough if the
participants simply become aware of the ben-
efits they have received, and that they speak
of them and be them in their regular activities.
Thus, youth exchanges are also placed in a
broader framework of efforts for the recog-
nition of non-formal education in youth work.
This is also one of the key objectives in the
new framework of European cooperation in the
youth field, also called European youth policy.
Janez Škulj
MOVIT
 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

PLANNING 24
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
• Where do we find potential partners?
05
• What does a project plan have to include? CONCLUSION 64
• What needs to be agreed on for good cooperation?
• Who writes the application? WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
• If everything is done by young people, what is my job then? • Why do we need a final evaluation?
• What if we do not match with potential partners or if they • Who writes the final report?
withdraw? • Which supporting documents need to be collected?
• How to learn what your partners are like?
•
•
What kind of partners do we want?
How to build/upgrade cooperation between partners?
04 •
•
Communication with partners after the project?
The youth group has new ideas for the future – what to do with
them?
DRAFTING 12 • How to exchange ideas and find a common denominator? • Oh, what about donors and other partners?
• Is the project idea appropriate for the Erasmus+ programme? Is it • Why celebrate? We have a lot of work with the conclusion and
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT? a young exchange or a training course or something else? the project was not perfect.

01
• It all starts with the first idea – Who should propose the idea? • How will the group develop during the youth exchange? • How to support the transfer of what young people have learnt
• Who should we include in the youth exchange? • How to prepare a timetable for a youth exchange? into their daily lives?
• From impossible dreams to doable ideas? • How to prepare a financial plan? IMPLEMENTATION 50 • Who does the evaluating and how?
• Turning an idea into concrete activities
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
• What to expect and wish for in a youth exchange?
• How is a youth exchange carried out?
• Overcoming fears WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE CONCLUSION
• How do we communicate with partners?
• How do you know which idea is good? PHASE?
• How to organise the travel and what needs special attention?
• Is it an exchange or something else? • What do they learn in this phase?
• How do we solve unpredicted situations?
• How can we work together if we have different views on the • How to support this learning process?

•
exchange?
How to make decisions?
02 •

•
What rules need to be discussed before and during the
exchange?
How to make evaluations at an exchange?
•
•
What is the role of a youth leader in the conclusion phase?
How do we include young people in this phase?
• Who else from our environment to include? • How do we facilitate intercultural learning in this phase?
• What is Youthpass and how do we prepare it?
• Can we get some other funding and where? Do we need to
• Is an ‘Intercultural Evening’ a true example of Intercultural
change anything because of that?
learning?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE PLANNING PHASE? • Who do the rules apply to?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE DRAFTING PHASE? • What do they learn in this phase? • How group dynamics affect the youth exchange?
• What do they learn in this phase? • How to support this learning process? • What is the point of conclusion activities if we will all be
• How to support this learning process? • What is the role of a youth leader in the planning phase?

06
Facebook friends?
• What is the role of a youth leader in the drafting phase? • How do we include young people in this phase? • Should we start our activities even if one of the groups is arriving
• How do we include young people in this phase? • How do we facilitate intercultural learning in this phase? a day later?
• How do we facilitate the intercultural learning in this phase?
• How to present and prepare Youthpass certificates?

DISSEMINATION AND
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE IMPLEMENTATION
PHASE? EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS 76
• What do they learn in this phase?
PREPARATION 36 • How to support this learning process? WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?

• What do we do with the group while waiting for the application results?
03 •

• What do we need to arrange with our partners?
• What do we do at an Advance Planning Visit (APV)?
• What about our local partners?
• What logistic preparations are needed ahead of the exchange?
• Do we have enough money?
• What if something unexpected happens?
• How to keep young people motivated while waiting for the results?
• We would rather invite young people to participate once the results
are out
• What if the project gets rejected?
• How can we transfer responsibility for finances to young people if they
can mess things up?
• How do we divide the roles and tasks?
• How to avoid having a youth exchange turn into tourism?
• What are the frequent risks for physical safety in the youth exchange?
• How do we check the severity of the risks?
4 5
•
What is the role of a youth leader if the programme was
prepared by the young people?
How do we include young people in this phase?
•
•
•
What does dissemination and exploitation of results mean?
What exactly can we disseminate or exploit?
What are the aims of dissemination and exploitation of results?
• How do we facilitate intercultural learning in this phase? • How can other people benefit from the exchange?
• How to keep young people engaged after the exchange?
• What are the options for maintaining partnerships with the other organisations?
• How must the products from the project be marked?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE
PREPARATION PHASE?
•
•
What do they learn in this phase?
How to support this learning process?
07 WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• What do they learn in this phase?
• What is the role of a youth leader in the • How to support this learning process?
preparation phase? • What is the role of a youth leader in the dissemination and exploitation of results?
• How do we include young people in this • How do we include the young people in this phase?
phase?
GLOSSARY • How do we facilitate intercultural learning in this phase?
• How do we facilitate intercultural learning in
this phase?
OF KEY TERMS 86

ABOUT THIS
PUBLICATION
T his publication is a result of a series of training courses carried
out by Zavod MOVIT as the National Agency for the ‘Youth in
Action’ and ‘Erasmus+ Youth in Action’ Programmes from 2012
to 2014 under the brand “Cherry on the Cake”. The trainings –
first national, then international – were aimed at improving the
quality of youth exchange projects and highlighting the role
of youth exchanges as a traditional and widespread form of
learning mobility in youth work. The focus of the national train-
ing courses was slightly different every year, for example: sup-
port for developing the competences of youth workers and
organisations for quality work with young people; and increas-
ing the participation of young people and improving support
for their learning throughout the process of the exchange.
In 2014 the training course was held in cooperation with
SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre and was opened
to participants from the Western Balkan region as well as the
other Erasmus+ Programme Countries. The international train-
ing course aimed at tackling the quality elements of all phases
of a Youth Exchange (planning, compilation, preparation, im-
plementation, closing and dissemination). The publication you
are reading is a synthesis of the most useful information from
the past trainings on this topic. It is targeting youth workers
and youth leaders interested in implementing a Youth Ex-
change within the Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme.
YOUTH EXCHANGE
AS A TOOL OF YOUTH WORK
Youth exchanges are one of the tools of youth work. They
draw motivation and energy for engagement from young peo-
ple’s need to meet their peers in other countries and their
wish to explore their broader environment.
Youth is a period of intensive re-evaluation of one’s attitude to
the world. Young people are reviewing the image they have
built up in their family and begin to shape their own world view
Such questioning of world views often takes place in peer
groups. Youth work contributes to personal development by
Youth exchanges
supporting young individuals in exploring the world, re-eval-
uating their assumptions and at the same time learning and
gathering experience for their future transition into full social
inclusion. One of the key processes in young people’s growth
is the development of independence and a critical approach
to their surroundings. This is why youth workers often set up
structures from which young people can gather experience in
independent decision-making and independent project man-
agement, while also offering them a chance to confront their
own mistakes.
Youth exchanges are a tool for allowing young people to
draft ideas as independently as possible, to coordinate them
with groups from other countries, plan and carry out projects,
and evaluate the participation and learning processes. In
this framework, youth leaders (the ones who accompany the
young people throughout their youth exchange journey) sup-
port them and ensure their basic safety and security.
Ensuring safety and letting young people take responsibility
can put youth leaders in unpredictable situations. The unpre-
dictability factor grows with the amount of the unknown in the
relationship between the group and the youth leader. But if
youth leaders wish young people to learn how to be indepen-
dent, they must allow them independence. If they wish them
to learn from their mistakes, they must be allowed to make
them. At the same time, it is the youth leaders job to limit the
possible impact of the mistakes so that a poor performance
will not cause damage.
Such work offers little security to a youth leader. This is why
it requires all the more motivation, dedication to the cause of
supporting young people, and to trust in them. When these
three are lacking, you get projects where young people are
only consumers of the services of youth exchanges organised
for them by others. Although young people do get the ex-
perience of a short-term stay in an intercultural environment,
they learn to a much lesser extent about active participation in
society and about realising their interests. Moreover, it is more
as youth work
likely that they will not learn about the intercultural differenc-
es due to the lack of cooperation with the other groups, so
the exchange may only result in strengthened prejudice and
stereotypes. If we accept the paradigm of including young
people in ready-made projects, we are raising consumers,
not active citizens.
Regardless of how you approach youth exchanges, the group
should build on what it has within itself. Only in this way can it
be genuine and address topics it really relates to. This goes
for the topics being chosen, as well as the way the work meth-
ods are adapted. In every youth exchange, reflection on the
relations among group members needs to be made, this can
be done using a picture of a group of people climbing a tree
– a ‘Blob Tree’. If the exchange is related to sports, it might be
better, for example, to use a picture of people on a football
field. If you are working with visually impaired young people,
most visual material is redundant and information on the coop-
eration within the group is obtained using other tools.
WHAT DOES THIS PUBLICATION OFFER?
If you are entering into this world for the first time, perhaps
these considerations about youth exchanges are enough to
overwhelm you. However, youth exchanges are not the only
short-term mobility projects that are available for enriching
work with young people. To name just a few, there are: work
camps, short-term EVS projects, summer schools, etc. They all
include groups of young people, interaction in an international
context, have a specific aim and objectives, and are excellent
educational tools for working with young people. If you have
had experience with one or more of these, you already have
significant capital to bring into organising a youth exchange.
And even if you haven’t, it is the understanding of how to work
with young people, in order to empower them to take an ac-
tive role and (co)create their own reality that is at the core of
everything youth exchanges stand for. This publication brings
information on different ways to work with and to encourage
young people within youth exchange projects. Since support-
ing young people in drawing up, implementing and evaluating
a youth exchange is a process of cooperation among people,
it is impossible to give a recipe that would work with every in-
dividual, every group, every social and cultural background or
under every condition. The aim of this publication is to provide
some tips that can help young people and youth leaders deal
with certain predicaments they may face in the process, and
offer a few questions for further exploration in this field.
The publication is conceived as contemplation on frequently
asked questions young people and youth leaders face in the
period from the conception of an idea to the conclusion of
the youth exchange. It is arranged in sections according to
the periods of project work, highlighting the concepts that we
believe form the key framework for international youth work
within exchanges.
The introduction and information about the framework and
formal conditions for youth exchanges in the Erasmus+ Pro-
gramme are followed by descriptions of individual phases of
a youth exchange project. Drafting, where ideas are being
developed; Planning, where groups arrange their ideas into a
consistent plan and apply for funding from the Erasmus+ Pro-
gramme; Preparation for the Exchange, when the groups work
on ensuring the material, technical and personal conditions for
the activities; Implementation Phase, when the actual short-
term youth mobility takes place; Evaluation, through which
everyone involved recognises the value of the exchange
activities from different perspectives; and Dissemination and
Exploitation of Results, through which they try to make sure
that the ideas, knowledge, skills and values that have been
developed during the project live on and are also transferred
into other environments and new projects. Every chapter con-
tains information on what tasks need to be accomplished in
each phase as well as insight on how young people can be
included, what they can learn and how the learning process
can be facilitated.
At the end you can find a short glossary of terms related to
youth exchanges in youth work.
7

WHY VIEW
YOUTH EXCHANGES
FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE?
To understand why we should view youth
exchanges from the perspective used in
this publication, let us take a look at the
broader framework of youth work.
What is our attitude towards youth work
and how does it reflect in our lives? This is
related to many factors. As a result it is
up to each individual or organisation to
decide on which framework they will cho-
ose as their own and what they will want
to change in it. This makes awareness
of the different frameworks all the more
important. This awareness will help us un-
derstand why we do what we do and so
help make changes if and when they are
needed.
8 9
WHAT IS YOUTH WORK?
Youth work is an environment where young people and adults work with young people
and for young people in an organised and goal-oriented way. In this setting, young
people contribute with their own efforts to their own social inclusion, strengthen their
competences and contribute to the development of the community. There are many
definitions of youth work but they all stress the following:
• Learning experience of young people: Every young individual learns something
within youth work since this is what it is meant for. This learning experience can
serve as a springboard for independence and engagement in society.
• Active participation of young people: People learn the most when they are wor-
king on something. This is why young people (co-)shape the activities, which helps
them learn how social processes work and how they themselves can contribute
to life in society.
• Planned process: Youth work is planned to achieve its purpose, and it is best if
young people take part in the planning. Nevertheless, it is also open to unplanned
learning experiences. It should also support young people in recognising what
they have learnt and help them in using it in everyday life.
• Comprehensive development of young people: Young people can develop inte-
grally as a part of youth work.
• Safety and security of participants should also be added as a necessary condition.
How much of this is actually reflected in our work?
THE ACTIVITIES IN YOUTH WORK SHOULD BE SHAPED BY
YOUNG PEOPLE OR AT THE LEAST, THEY SHOULD ACTIVELY
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS.
SO WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER/WORKER?
A youth leader/worker can set the objectives, but if young people are to be truly inte-
grated in the process, they can also change them. The leader can plan the content,
but the youth group can choose other content. They can think of ways to work, but the
young people may prefer something else.
If you take active participation seriously, then the role of the youth leader or worker will
lie in ensuring the activities are in line with their framework (legislation, values, mission
and purpose of the project). A young person may join in with youth work at any point
they wish, the youth leader/worker must offer the support this person needs to advan-
ce in the desired direction, making sure all is kept within the set framework. If young
people go beyond the set framework, the leader can ask them to get back or warn
them. But in some cases this is an opportunity to reconsider whether the framework still
makes sense or the young people have just made it clear that it can be adapted. This
is why planning is mostly about process objectives.
HOW SHOULD WE WORK THEN? WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOL
OF A YOUTH LEADER/WORKER?
It often seems that working in a particular way and using particu- together with the young people. With no relationships built or
lar methods makes you a very good youth leader or worker, but only superficial ones, your work will only reach superficial results,
there is no such recipe. regardless of what you have studied to prepare, and the young
people will only be users and consumers. Within a relationship,
Youth work is there to support young people in their develo- you get to know a person and can shape activities to suit their
pment. The main question is what are the needs of the young needs.
people? What attracts them to take part in activities? What keeps
them coming back to the activities? The answer is ‘relationships’. Under some circumstances, a relationship with young pe-
ople can seem difficult. For example, for a public official who is
The most effective tool of a youth leader/worker is their relation- expected to stay within certain lines, or for someone in an or-
ship with the youth group. Once you have built a genuine relati- ganisation, who usually has more formal relationship approach
onship with someone, you can achieve cooperation that will con- towards young people. It could be the worker is simply not ready
tribute to development on both sides. If in this relationship young to let young people close because this requires a lot of energy,
people are accepted, respected, and recognised as unique and or maybe this would mean they could not keep to their work
responsible people who are trusted, this will contribute the most schedule, etc. The constraints under which a worker operates
to the quality of work. Specific skills can be learnt and developed will remain there unless they change them themselves.
can view different possibilities or different ways of life, how to cooperate,
INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION how to behave in an unfamiliar environment where old patterns do not
work? How do choices of values and the way of someone’s life reflect in
IN YOUTH WORK
different environments and how does this affect other people?
The international dimension in youth work allows the
Cooperation in an international environment can have a deepening and
horizons to be expanded even further. It can take pla-
broadening effect in youth work. Young people may be deeply affected
ce in the home community (e.g. different young pe-
and may have difficulties finding their way in a setting where the answers
ople in an activity, hosting an international event or
they have known up to now no longer work. Youth leaders/workers
long-distance cooperation) or by going somewhere
else to another community.
can help them not to give up when looking for new answers. They also
support them in finding the right words to describe unknown experiences.
This way, their learning experience will be even greater, it will mean more
A relationship can only be developed with someone
to them and have a greater impact on their choice of lifestyle.
if that person is known. Meeting different people
and learning about their environments is one of the
main purposes of the international dimension. Youth
leaders/workers learn the most when they are part
of something and experience it themselves – things
often remain just theory unless they are experienced. “The field of youth work is a field of exploration, both for
Experiencing things touches us the most and allows young people and all those who enter it as volunteers
us to better understand people and events, which is or as employed support for young people. People and
why international activities are so important in youth groups are never the same and this is what allows con-
work. This is often the first opportunity for young pe- stant learning, which is one of the charms of youth work."
ople to experience diversity if they themselves do
not live in a diverse environment. Furthermore, the
international dimension allows young people to learn
about themselves from new perspectives – how they
 Youth exchanges allow groups of young people from different
countries to spend up to 21 days together, exploring topics
that connect them. During an exchange, participants carry out
a programme that they had planned and prepared in advance,
usually consisting of a mix of workshops, exercises, debates,
role-plays, simulations, outdoor activities, etc. Youth exchanges
allow young people to develop their competences, become
aware of socially relevant topics/thematic areas, discover
new cultures, habits and lifestyles through peer learning, and
strengthen values like solidarity, democracy, friendship, etc.
youth exchanges
IN THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME
ELIGIBLE
PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS:
A non-profit/non-governmental
organisation, a European youth NGO,
a social enterprise, a public body at
local level, an informal group of young
people. Also: a public body at regional
or national level, an association of
regions, a European grouping of territorial
cooperation, a company active in
corporate social responsibility (CSR). MINIMUM NUMBER
OF PARTNERS:
2 from two different countries.
10
The learning process in youth exchanges is triggered by methods
of non-formal education. Youth exchanges are based on trans-
national cooperation between two or more participating organi-
sations from different countries within and outside the European
Union.
However, it is important to understand that youth exchanges are
NOT academic study trips, tourist trips, tours or profit-orient-
ed activities.
ORIGIN OF PARTNERS:
Partners (participating youth groups) can
come from Programme countries (28 EU
countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
and Turkey) and partner countries
neighbouring the EU. Every project
must have at least one partner from a
Programme country.
PROJECT DURATION:
Minimum 3 months, maximum 2 years.
PARTICIPANTS:
Young people aged between 13 and 30; DURATION
minimum 16 and maximum 60 participants
OF PROJECT ACTIVITY:
– group leaders not included; minimum
From 5 to 21 days, excluding travel time.
4 participants per group – group leaders
not included.
ERASMUS+
PROGRAMME GRANT:
If the application is successful, the applicant of the youth
exchange project is awarded the following from the Erasmus+
LOCATION Programme:
OF THE ACTIVITY: • a grant for organisational support (unit costs per day of
In the country of one of the activity per participant)
participating organisations. • an amount of unit costs for travel (based on the travel
WHERE AND WHEN distance per participant between their place of origin
and the venue of the activity. Travel distances need to be
TO APPLY: calculated using the distance calculator supported by the
The applicant from one of the Programme European Commission.)
countries applies with the project to its National • optionally, the applicant can request funding for exceptional
Agency of the Erasmus+ Programme. Applica- costs (accommodation during an Advance Planning Visit,
tions can be made on one of the three annual visa-related costs, costs to support the participation of
deadlines. More information about the applica- young people with fewer opportunities, etc.)
tion procedure can be found in the Erasmus+ • support for special needs (in case the project includes
Programme Guide under Key Action 1. young people with disabilities).
The organisations from the Western Balkan
countries2 apply to the Education, Audiovisual
ADVANCE PLANNING VISIT (APV)
and Culture Executive Agency. Applications can If the project foresees an Advance Planning Visit (APV), the following criteria
be made on one of the two annual deadlines. must also be respected:
More information about the application proce-
dure can be found in the Erasmus+ Programme Duration of the APV:
Guide under Key Action 2. Maximum 2 days (travel days excluded).
Number of participants in the APV:
At least 1 participant per country. The APV can be attended by 2 people per
country if at least 1 of them is a young person who is taking part in the project.
WESTERN BALKAN YOUTH WINDOW1
Since 2015 organisations from the Western Balkan countries2 have a chance to submit applications within
the Erasmus+ Youth in Programme’s Key Action 2 (Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good
practise) under the action “Capacity building in the field of youth”. The successful applications are funded
with additional EU funds, referred to as Western Balkan Youth Window, made available through the
Erasmus+ Programme to promote cooperation with organisations from the Western Balkan region in the
field of youth. The projects within this framework can consist of different mobility activities, including Youth
Exchanges, possibly complemented by other capacity building activities.
1
For more information, please consult the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
2
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line
with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of Independence.), Montenegro and Serbia.
11

drafting
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW
DO WE DO IT?
• IT ALL STARTS WITH THE FIRST IDEA – WHO
SHOULD PROPOSE THE IDEA?
• WHO SHOULD WE INCLUDE IN THE YOUTH
EXCHANGE?
• FROM IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS TO DOABLE IDEAS?
• TURNING AN IDEA INTO CONCRETE ACTIVITIES
• WHAT TO EXPECT AND WISH FOR IN A YOUTH
EXCHANGE?
• OVERCOMING FEARS
• HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH IDEA IS GOOD?
• IS IT AN EXCHANGE OR SOMETHING ELSE?
• HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER IF WE HAVE
DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE EXCHANGE?
• HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS?
• WHO ELSE FROM OUR ENVIRONMENT TO INCLUDE?
• CAN WE GET SOME OTHER FUNDING AND WHERE?
DO WE NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING BECAUSE OF
THAT?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE DRAFTING
PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER IN THE
DRAFTING PHASE?
• HOW DO WE INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS
PHASE?
• HOW DO WE FACILITATE THE INTERCULTURAL
LEARNING IN THIS PHASE?
12
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
IT ALL STARTS WITH THE
FIRST IDEA – WHO SHOULD
PROPOSE THE IDEA?
An example:
Participants met on their way to the
exchange. They spent quite some
time to get to know each other and
connect, so they were left with little
time to socialise with other partici-
pants and they had no programme
ready. The leader also had quite a
different perspective on how the work
should be done so they had to solve
a number of divergences instead of
working on the quality of the pro-
gramme and on the participants.
DRAFTING
The idea for a youth exchange can surface from an interest in folk music, from curiosity
about why they have siesta in Sicily, how eco villages work in different countries, etc. It
can come from the young people or a youth leader, they can come up with it together, or
it could come from participants of last year’s youth exchange wishing to organise another.
The spark can also be ignited by a youth leader who accompanies a group of young
people and knows their wishes and ideas, and challenges them or tries to bring their
experience to a higher level.
If young people do not know what youth exchanges are, a youth leader can present the
concept to them; for example by showing them a video of an exchange, by inviting a
young participant or a whole group who took part in one. It is good to let young people
have some time to think about the idea. If they are interested, they will continue to talk
and wonder about it.
If the idea comes from the youth group itself or if young people develop it from the start,
they are more likely to embrace it as their own and they will be much more motivated in
the preparation, the exchange itself and the follow-up. Learning outcomes will come in
different phases of the project and can be planned for each participant.
If the idea is drawn up and developed by a youth leader or a group of youth leaders,
while participants are only sought later on, then a lot of energy and time will be spent
looking for participants and motivating them. This also increases the risk that participants
will have different views of the youth exchange and will not connect as a group, only
taking part in the programme without co-shaping it, which in turn will probably result in
them being unwilling to continue working together after the exchange. It also reduces
the learning outcomes since the participants have not shaped the idea from the start and
have no investment in it.
Is it true they drink
more tea than Turkish
coffee in Turkey?
13
 DRAFTING
A youth exchange can be prepared with an existing group of young people. For them,
WHO SHOULD WE INCLUDE it will be an upgrade of their work and a desirable challenge. But you can also gather
IN THE YOUTH EXCHANGE? different young people together and create a new group. In this case, it is best to choose
participants among young people you already work with, so that the exchange will be a
chance for personal growth for each of them.
If the group is new, it should be brought together soon after the idea for an exchange
has first surfaced. This will allow the participants to be engaged from the beginning when
the idea is still being developed, which in turn will help you support their motivation and
group formation. Moreover, make sure that the youth group gets to know each other and
the youth leaders, and that the leaders get to know the group.
Some ideas may seem completely unrealistic until you start to work on them. You can
FROM IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS help young people develop the idea with creative methods (e.g. brainstorming, reverse
TO DOABLE IDEAS? question, reverse brainstorming, and mind maps) and should not limit them too much in
the initial stage. This way, you will probably get even more ideas from which the group
can choose the ones they like.
You may not agree with the young people on how realisable some of the ideas are. But
as a youth leader you will likely need to step out of your comfort zone and also support
ideas that might not be as close to you.
Some ideas may seem quite abstract until you start translating them into activities. Here,
TURNING AN IDEA INTO once again, invite young people to propose activities themselves since this means they
will relate to them more easily. If the young people have never been on a youth ex-
CONCRETE ACTIVITIES
change or a camp or any residential experience lasting several days, it will be harder for
them to come up with ideas. In this case, you can present an example of an exchange
and help them explore what they might want and what needs to be done in order to carry
out an exchange. A leader can also make suggestions, but the decisions should be taken
together with the young people. Sometimes they might think a new thing you propose is
rubbish. Through talking about it, you can help them to understand why an activity should
be carried out and what they can gain from it. Sometimes they need some time to think.
You should consider in advance which activities should be part of an exchange and ex-
plain to the young people why it is so. But at the same time, you should be ready that they
may refuse some of your proposals. If you really want to support the learning process,
you will also allow the young people to make mistakes if they might learn more that way.
By the end of this phase, you together with the young people will have shaped an idea
that you can approach partners with and invite them to join the project. At the same time,
the idea should not be defined in too much detail since the same process will need to
take place with the partners and many things may still need to be changed.
Among the necessary considerations, you should also think carefully who you want as
partners in the exchange and how many participants the exchange should have.
14
DRAFTING
Young people come with their own expectations about the youth exchange and shape
WHAT TO EXPECT AND WISH them according to what you present to them. The later they join the process, the low-
FOR IN A YOUTH EXCHANGE? er the chance of them being able to adjust their expectations and plans for the youth
exchange. Make sure the expectations of everyone are heard by all – so that you can
work to meet them or establish why they cannot be met. This way, you support the
motivation of the group and establish whether a participant is really appropriate for the
youth exchange.
The expectations of the participants should be checked at the beginning and also later
on, since they tend to change. You can ask them what (in comparison to their peers
not taking part) might change after the youth exchange and how they think they will be
viewed by others.
Based on the wishes of the participants, you can also plan the learning process of the
youth exchange to include a particular wish that a participant may have.
Young people will always have fears, but you can address them so they realise the fears
OVERCOMING FEARS are not that terrible or that they can help each other in fighting them. Some of the fears
may remain or may surface later in the project. The time to talk about fears is appropriate
when the participants already feel safe in the group because this means they will be
ready to express their fears and hear the fears of others, and try to look for strategies to
support each other.
Depending on the age of the participants, you might also need to face the fears of par-
ents. For the younger ones (those under the age of legal consent – this may vary in
different countries), you will need the approval of their parents so that they can take part
in the youth exchange, whereas it may not be necessary to talk to the parents of those
over the age of legal consent. The youth leader should consider when it is important to
tell parents about the progress of preparations to keep them informed and to maintain
dialogue with them. You should also encourage the young people to talk to their parents
themselves.
An idea for an exchange is good if it is realisable and interesting for the participants,
HOW DO YOU KNOW if participants will learn from it, if it has a clear need for an international dimension and
WHICH IDEA IS GOOD? might also contribute to the local environment. A good idea has a clear answer as to why
it should be carried out.
If the exchange idea poses an appropriate challenge, young people will hopefully em-
brace and develop it, and at the same time they will learn from it. Exchange ideas that are
too simple will produce limited ideas for activities. On the other hand, an exchange idea
that is too challenging will probably see young people give up. If the exchange activities
can be only be carried out with young people from the local environment or if most of the
activities would be focussed on time spent at computers, then the exchange concept is
not going to work.
15
 DRAFTING
To qualify as a youth exchange, the meeting of young people from different countries
IS IT AN EXCHANGE OR must offer an opportunity for them to learn and explore the realities of each other. If it
SOMETHING ELSE? contributes to the local environment, all the better.
• If you only wish for young people to learn a language or spend part of their holiday
abroad, this is not a youth exchange.
• If you invite young people just before the exchange to visit Turkey for ten days
with you and take part in a two-week programme, it is a vacation and not a youth
exchange.
• If you need the help of a group of young people mainly for work (e.g. watching over
turtles in a zoo, building a theatre stage in an organisation’s yard, preparing a festi-
val, etc.), it is a work camp or a volunteering project, not a youth exchange.
• If you wish young adults to learn something new that will help them with their work
in the organisation, it is a project for mobility of youth workers (e.g. a training course).
Someone may prefer one idea and someone else may prefer another; one wants to work
HOW CAN WE WORK one way and the other one wants something else. Since it is about the learning process,
TOGETHER IF WE HAVE it makes sense to try out different things so that the young people get to explore and
receive diverse experiences. Make sure that everyone does what they prefer and that
DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE you do not force anyone into activities.
EXCHANGE?
Some people are open to new things and others are not – solving these situations is a
learning process that is sometimes easy and sometimes difficult. Young people should
be supported in this process – sometimes you need to make certain things easier for
them and at other times you need to let them get the experience of facing a difficult
situation.
Already in the drafting phase, they will see little or no sense in some of the things you do.
This will be less likely if you explain to them the broader framework of youth exchanges
and if they know what needs to be done to organise one. If you prepare for group meet-
ings, it will be easier to work together.
Nevertheless, if it turns out already at the beginning that your views are simply too diver-
gent, it is better not to take on the project together, since unnecessary disagreements
would constantly arise.
16
DRAFTING
Everything in an exchange should be decided by the participants together with the youth
HOW TO leaders, participating as equals. When young people are part of the decision making
MAKE DECISIONS? process, they are more likely to stand behind their decisions and will take responsibility
for the realisation of those decisions. What is theirs will mean more to them than what is
given or even forced on them from the outside. The way decisions are made is also the
result of the character of the Erasmus+ Programme, which underlines democratic pro-
cesses and the active participation of young people.
Decisions can be taken by a single person, they can be voted on, and they can be made
by the whole group or not taken at all. Every option has its consequences.
When one person makes the decisions, they will only be embraced by those who agree
with them or are positively inclined towards the decision-maker. In the long run, this
means the group does not work together. However, quick decisions by a single person
are important and necessary in matters of safety or in critical situations.
When different arguments are confronted and a decision needs to be made, you can
choose to take a vote. This is appropriate for less crucial decisions with no major impact
on the programme. Sometimes it is important to acknowledge the view of a minority or
the needs of an individual, so in those cases voting would be inappropriate. Voting also
brings the danger of someone feeling left out. Moreover, it is not as appropriate when
it comes to comprehensive decisions. In this case, it is more appropriate to search for
a common decision of the entire group. This is why the group should discuss things in
a way that will give everyone a chance to be heard without undermining the views of
others. If the participants really listen to each other, the group will find a solution that
everyone can agree with. When this moment comes, everyone will feel it and the atmo-
sphere will calm down or the group will overcome the disagreement with enthusiasm and
everyone will embrace the decision as their own. This sometimes requires more time, but
the quality of cooperation increases substantially.
When taking decisions, you can use different techniques that facilitate the decision-mak-
ing process.
17
 DRAFTING
As part of the exchange, you will work with different people who are not your project
WHO ELSE FROM OUR partners. You should consider who you will need to work with (e.g. parents, co-workers,
ENVIRONMENT TO INCLUDE? friends, neighbours), who you should work with (e.g. owner of the venue, webmaster),
who you wish to work with (e.g. local speleology club, the mayor) and who you could
work with because they would benefit from the project or you wish to strengthen your
ties (e.g. student club, high school teachers).
These are stakeholders in the project, those who have a stake in its implementation.
They will affect the project or benefit from it. Stakeholders can help you in the realisation
of the project or hold you down; you may know them already or not yet. It is good to
consider this aspect early on in the project, as it can affect the projects implementation
and content. For each of the stakeholders, you should consider how important they are
for the project and what is their attitude and interest (do they wish to cooperate or really
want something from the project). If a stakeholder is averse to the project, you should try
to think of something that would draw them closer. All these considerations will make it
easier to decide who to work with and how. Make a plan of how to approach and coop-
erate with each stakeholder.
By seeking co-funding, you also accept the expectations or framework of those provid-
CAN WE GET SOME OTHER ing the funds.
FUNDING AND WHERE?
• You can get the money through different types of fundraisers (e.g. selling products
DO WE NEED TO or making music in the street), you can look for donations and sponsorships or try
CHANGE ANYTHING crowdfunding like ‘Kickstarter’ if it is an innovation project, or apply to funding pro-
BECAUSE OF THAT? grammes, etc.
• At the local level, you can request funding from local authorities – it will be easier
to get if the project is about the cooperation of young people from twin towns or
about a field supported by the city. It is also helpful to present to them how the local
community will benefit from hosting young people from another country or how their
young citizens can contribute to the local community when they return.
• At the national level, you can apply for funding within programmes for international
cooperation of young people (e.g. secondary school students) or development co-
operation, etc.
• Funding can also be obtained from different national or international foundations
that support projects in different fields and different regions
18
DRAFTING
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE DRAFTING PHASE?
Drafting is where a youth exchange starts – the initial idea starts being developed into
WHAT DO THEY LEARN something concrete and a group of people who want to join in starts forming. The group
IN THIS PHASE? starts refining its ideas and shaping them into a common image of the exchange.
Young people learn and strengthen:
GROUP COMMUNICATION
A youth exchange takes place in a group, which means that young people learn how to
listen to the group and be heard, to express their own ideas, wishes and needs, to ex-
plore different opinions and form a common idea. In doing so, they use and learn active
participation and different ways of communicating, which can boost their self-image and
confidence, while also improving their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.
DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES
A youth exchange is a place for learning, active participation and democratic processes
because the group works and makes decisions together. Young people learn to express
themselves and allow different opinions, they learn to coordinate, to look for common
ground and make decisions individually and as a team. This is why the leader must allow
them freedom when different views conflict, and allow them to make mistakes, while mak-
ing sure they remain within an appropriate framework. Cooperating in a group is also an
opportunity for learning how to agree on joint work and how you wish to work together,
which contributes to social and civic competences and skills that improve employability.
CREATIVITY AND IDEA DEVELOPMENT
Exploring and developing ideas are the main activities in the drafting phase. Young peo-
ple often lack experience in independently exploring and developing ideas in the direc-
tion they want. You can help the group with creative methods to give them enough time
to explore different ideas and come up with new ones. This way, they also see that ideas
are refined in the next step, when you have already explored the new possibilities. This
also gives more freedom in the first step to explore new things and work together on the
‘crazy’ ideas. Young people learn to develop ideas together, identify what helps them do
this and what steps contribute to the quality of the process. Through these processes,
they also boost their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.
TEAM WORK
Team work always means learning about yourself and learning to work with others. Young
people join the group with different expectations, which they will need to adjust – and
this requires respect for each individual. They have a chance to experience different
roles and get feedback about themselves. They learn how to achieve more together
than they could on their own, and how to overcome difficulties. These skills help young
people both in their professional life and private sphere.
19
 DRAFTING
One of the main emphases in the drafting phase is the formation and exploration of ideas.
HOW TO SUPPORT THIS You can support the group in the creative stage so they really stick to coming up with
LEARNING PROCESS? ideas before going deeper to explore what a particular idea means. If you start to analyse
too quickly why a particular idea is good or not, you stop the creative process and the
exploration of uncharted waters. When the group finds their common idea, they will feel it.
Support is offered with creative techniques and methods that allow thinking openly about
how group members see the future. This allows individuals in the group to recognise in
which direction they want to go. You can use visual material like the method of speaking
through pictures. Invite group members to select the photo that is closest to their percep-
tion of a youth exchange. The participants should explain their choices. You can also try
visualisations of the future. Invite group members to imagine how they see themselves in
ten years and how the youth exchange would be presented in a film or book about their
life. They can draw a picture, write a blog, etc., and present it to each other.
The second main emphasis in this phase is group formation. You can help group mem-
bers to get to know each other if they have not done so yet, and help the group to form.
Priloga 5
Allow participants to exchange views and take on their first tasks together, and encour-
age them to spend time together outside of the preparations for the exchange. It is help-
ful for the group to socialise in their free time and even do unusual activities together. This
way, the members get to know each other in different roles and refine their relationships,
it is also good if their leader joins them as many times as possible. In this process of
learning about each other and about working together, the group can also be supported
by being given a chance to talk about it. This way, they will reflect on how they work
together, how they see themselves and others, how they are developing the idea, etc.
You can use pictures of several people doing different things , e.g. on a tree, on a ship,
in a store, building a house or on a football field. You can ask the participants to answer
your questions by each choosing the person on the picture they feel best represents
their answer. You should only ask one or two questions to allow them to focus – less is
more. You can ask them for example: “Where do you see yourself in this project/group?
How do you see others? What illustrates your cooperation best? How do you wish the
Source: Blazinšek, A., Cepin, M., Mikac, M. cooperation of the group to be?” Group members present and explain their choices and
(2009): Orodja za vrednotenje v mladinskem then the group can discuss them.
delu, Zveza Škis, Ljubljana.
The more energy and time you invest in teambuilding, the better the team’s cooperation
will be in the subsequent stages of the project.
20
DRAFTING
A youth leader helps the group find the right idea and presents different options for youth
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A exchanges. They support the group in their creative search for different possibilities and
in exploring them. They present unknown work methods, activities and the necessary
YOUTH LEADER IN THE elements of a youth exchange.
DRAFTING PHASE?
The leader helps the group decide as an equal member. If possible, they let the group
decide on their own, but at the same time make sure that the group remains within the
agreed framework (agreements on work, actual possibilities, etc.). If the group decides
to seek funding, the leader helps them identify what this means for adapting the content
of work methods.
The leader makes sure the group members know each other and allows exchanges of
views. They encourage the group to spend time together outside their work. They can
also organise an unusual activity for the group to connect better. The leader is with the
group most of the time, so that everyone can get to know everyone.
Exploring the expectations and wishes of group members is the responsibility of the
leader, who can also use this to test whether a person is appropriate for a youth ex-
change. If the leader sees the expectations do not match the concept of the youth ex-
change, they need to talk to the particular group member or help this person adapt to the
views of the rest of the group. If someone does not wish to adapt, it is the responsibility
of the youth leader to tell the individual and the group that they will not be able to take
part in the exchange.
Already at the beginning, the youth leader helps create an environment where everyone
is heard, presents the organisational needs and informs the parents if needed.
21
 DRAFTING DRAFTING

The time of drafting is also the time when to think about who to include in the youth
HOW DO WE INCLUDE exchange. The youth leader can invite young people to join the process and so try to HOW DO WE FACILITATE
YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS include those the project will be beneficial to. If a youth exchange is seen as the next
step in the development of a young person there needs to be careful selecting. At the
THE INTERCULTURAL
PHASE? same time it is important to be aware that it is not possible to be able to include all the LEARNING IN THIS PHASE?
young people. Maybe this will happen due to a lack of motivation, maybe because it is
hard to synchronize schedules or maybe because the youth leader does not have the
competencies to work with a certain group (youth from rural areas, drug users, migrants…)
Intercultural learning,
The most important part of inclusion in this phase is giving the young people the license
to dream. as understood in this publication:

The environment we live in is presenting us with limitations. Some of the limitations are 01• Regards culture as a dynam-
set in order to protect us and others (very often in legislation), to glue the communi- ic rather than a static concept
ty together (patterns of behaviour in community/culture) while some are set as a result (cultures change over time, peo-
3
For more information please consult the concept 4I's of
oppression by John Bell of understanding the reality (attitude towards illness, youth, women…). Youth work as a ple change over time and one of
https://youthbuild.org/sites/youthbuild.org/files/Four%20Is.pdf.
polygon for new practices in the life of young people is always the place of testing new the important factors of change
realities, the place in which we step out of the everyday reality and can co-create a dif- comes from interaction with other
ferent setting. cultures)
•
02 Does not equate culture auto-
The work with young people in the drafting phase is focused on recognizing the obsta- matically with country, nation
cles the individual and or group faces in everyday life that limits their active participation or ethnicity (countries, nations
in both society and in youth projects. It is a time of challenging the beliefs (of the young and ethnic groups are tradition-
people and youth leaders alike) of what is possible and inviting the young people to ally viewed as having their own
dream 'out of the box' of the limitations set on them by the ideologies, institutions, inter- culture, but that is too narrow and
personal relations and internalized happenings.3 there are more (sub)cultures that
influence the lives of young peo-
At the same time it is the time to look at the other side of the inclusion coin and research ple)
the attitudes of other young people when faced with diversity and explore their general
view of inclusion since this will be one of the key elements of the work throughout the 03• Sees identities of young people,
among other things, as complex
project duration. interactions of different cultural
frameworks
Drafting is also the phase in which to try to recognize the 'zones of learning' of the individ- • Believes that every culture has
ual. The questions to ask to the participants and to ourselves are, for example: 04 a set of behaviours, values and
• When do I feel comfortable? beliefs
• How do I feel about this task? • Is a long-term process of in-
05
• How do I feel when I receive a challenge? How do I react in challenging situations? creasing one’s intercultural
• How do I react when something is too big a challenge for me? sensitivity, through questioning
inherent behaviours, values and
It is also the time when the relationships in the group and with the youth leaders needs beliefs
to be solidified enough to be able to provide appropriate support in the challenging and
'too demanding' situations. 06• Does not happen automatically
in every interaction of people
from different cultures
07• Encourages learning and grow-
ing from diversity.
22
Having said all that, youth exchanges are one of the pedagogical tools in youth
work that offer a lot of possibilities for intercultural learning to happen. This is
mainly due to their long-term character of being implemented through different
phases, which makes them different from other short-term mobility projects. Even
if nothing is being done, interactions that will involve cultural perceptions will hap-
pen among the young people in all the phases of a youth exchange. And yes,
learning will be happening as well. However, if not facilitated, these interactions
and the learning stays either on the superficial level or leads to tensions and
clashes. On the other hand, if facilitated properly, intercultural learning is very
likely to open a space for significant changes with the young people. In order for
that to happen, facilitation of intercultural learning needs to start already from the
drafting phase.
For a lot of people, the idea of intercultural learning starts when they meet people
from different countries. Translated into the language of youth exchanges, it starts
on the very first day of its implementation phase. However, it can and should start
much sooner than that. The first thing that should be utilised is the diversity of the
young people that are developing an idea of a youth exchange. It is that diversity
(regardless of them coming from the same country) that will inspire creativity and
allow young people to learn from each other. So this diversity needs to be nur-
tured from the very start of the process and pointed out as an opportunity rather
than a threat. Dreaming through diversity is a challenging, but rewarding process.
When working on the idea with young people, regardless of the topic, some of
the cultural elements will almost always appear (e.g. I would like to know how they
live in Iceland. I would like to know what people eat for breakfast in Romania. I
am very interested in the architecture of Latvia. I would really like to know how
the Portuguese like to spend their free time, etc.). However, when thinking how
to include intercultural learning in a youth exchange, it is important to encompass
different elements of culture: behaviours, beliefs and values.4 By their nature, be-
haviours are very likely to be included and discovered, but in order to maximise
the experience of all the young people involved, thought needs to put into under-
standing how to include beliefs and values in the equation as well.
3
For more information please consult the concept Iceberg of Culture, source: AFS Orientation Handbook Vol.4.
23
 PLANNING

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?

WE DO IT?
IS PHASE AND HOW DO
WHAT HAPPENS IN TH
TENTIAL PARTNERS?
• WHERE DO WE FIND PO ? Partnership is one of the basic conditions for most of the projects in the Erasmus+ Pro-
T PLAN HAVE TO INCLUDE
• WHAT DOES A PROJEC OD CO OP ERATION? WHERE DO WE FIND gramme. The search for potential partners is the moment when a group starts to open to
AT NE ED S TO BE AG REED ON FOR GO the outside. The group’s own interests and needs are to be coupled with the interests
• WH
CATION?
POTENTIAL PARTNERS?
• WHO WRITES THE APPLI AT IS MY JOB THEN?
and needs of others.
IS DO NE BY YOUNG PEOPLE, WH OR IF THEY WITHDRAW?
• IF EVERYTHING H POTENTIAL PARTNERS
DO NO T MA TC H WIT The search can be approached in different ways. You can look for new partners with
• WHAT IF WE
UR PARTNERS ARE LIKE? which you have not worked together before, or ask existing or past partners to join the
• HOW TO LEARN WHAT YO
DO WE WANT? project.
WHAT KIND OF PARTNERS RTNERS?
•
BU ILD /UP GR AD E CO OPERATION BETWEEN PA
• HO W TO ON DENOMINATOR?
HO W TO EXCH AN GE IDEAS AND FIND A COMM + PR OGRAMME? IS IT A YOUT
H EXCHANGE OR The most common way of looking for new partners is to search in different databases of
• FO R TH E ER AM US potential partner organisations. The most widely used database in the Erasmus+ Youth
PROPRIATE
• IS THE PROJECT IDEA AP
UR SE OR SOMETHING ELSE? in Action Programme is Otlas5. You can also find support in the Eurodesk network, the
A TRAINING CO UTH EXCHANGE?
DEVELOP DURING THE YO database of EVS accredited organisations and partner search tools set up by individu-
• HOW WILL THE GROUP EX CHANGE?
ETABLE FOR A YOUTH al National Agencies of the Erasmus+ Programme (e.g. Turkey, Italy, Germany, the Eu-
• HOW TO PREPARE A TIM ro-Mediterranean Region).
ANCIAL PLAN?
• HOW TO PREPARE A FIN
ANNING PHASE? Another common way is to look at your organisation’s previous projects and check if your
AT CA N YO UN G PE OPLE LEARN IN THE PL partners from these projects are ready to work with you again. Working with partners
WH
IN THIS PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN you already know makes the process of setting up cooperation and getting to know an
LEARNING PROCESS?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PLANNING PHASE? organisation much easier.
YOUTH LEADER IN THE
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A IS PH ASE?
UNG PEOPLE IN TH
HOW DO WE INCLUDE YO
5
https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/otlas-part- It is also common to look for partners within an organisation’s network. Some organisa-
• RN ING IN THIS PHASE?
DO WE FA CIL ITA TE INT ERCULTURAL LEA ner-finding/ tions are part of larger networks dedicated to different topics (e.g. volunteering, fighting
• HOW
poverty, inclusion of the Roma community) or part of an international organisation.
6
Such events are published in the European
Training Calendar, available at https://www. Within Erasmus+:Youth in Action, different organisations also prepare Partnership Build-
salto-youth.net/tools/european-training-cal- ing Activities6. These events are attended by representatives of different organisations
endar/.
that want to expand their networks of potential partners and recognise possible fields of
cooperation.

planning
24 25
 PLANNING
A project plan is the step where you expand the idea you have formed and put it in the
WHAT DOES A PROJECT wider setting. It also defines how the change it foresees will be achieved in your environ-
PLAN HAVE TO INCLUDE? ment and what is needed before you start filling in the electronic application form.
When all the partners agree on the idea, you start gathering additional information about
the possibilities for implementation. By collecting this information, the participating groups
deepen their awareness that the same idea can be realised in different ways. This is
followed by the process of making a decision on the form (framework) of the activity you
plan to carry out.7
Once you have selected the framework for the project, you plan it together. You must
clearly define what the project will contribute to (general orientation/purpose), what ex-
actly you expect to achieve (concrete goals) and how you expect to achieve it (project
activities). Already during the planning phase you should be considering how you will
check whether you are meeting the set goals (you should also plan the evaluation pro-
cess). You can read more about these processes in different project planning manuals8.
7
Read more about this under the next
question. For a youth exchange, this means that the plan needs to describe what will be its long-
8
For example: http://youth-partnership-eu. term contribution, what the youth exchange will achieve, what activities will be undertak-
coe.int/youth-partnership/publica- en as part of the project to achieve the objectives and how the implementation process
tions/T-kits/3/Tkit_3_EN. will be monitored to evaluate the results.
A timeframe must be set for all the activities to make clear what happens when in the
project. Moreover, all the activities must also be described with respect to their material
needs (how much material, equipment, tools, food, space, etc. is needed and how much
they will cost).
For good cooperation, it is necessary to agree on the common rules, a division of work
WHAT NEEDS TO BE and responsibilities, and other important factors that can affect your work.
AGREED ON FOR GOOD
You can never work out too many things with partners. It is good to talk about all the as-
COOPERATION? pects of cooperation, as this offers a chance to learn from each other and see how the
group on the other side understands a particular aspect of cooperation. You should not
forget that you are discussing activities and rules in an intercultural environment where
each of you has their own perception of punctuality, interpersonal relations, responsibility,
etc. These views will largely stem from the culture of which the group is a part of.
26
PLANNING
In ideal conditions, it is the participants who write the application. They are the ones who,
WHO WRITES through the process of its preparation, need to think about the different aspects of the
THE APPLICATION? project. When it is time to prepare the application, this can also be one of the challenges
(and learning opportunities) for them, but it is good if they get support from someone with
more experience.
Youth leaders often wonder what their role is when young people are really engaged in
IF EVERYTHING IS DONE BY taking over the tasks. The role of the youth leader in such cases is to monitor the group’s
YOUNG PEOPLE , WHAT IS work and step in when the group needs assistance. The youth leader should also be set-
ting up the appropriate level of structure that will, on the one hand, be open to ambiguity
MY JOB THEN? and on the other, offer support and structure to those who need it.
If a partner withdraws its cooperation in the planning phase, this means you will have to
WHAT IF WE DO NOT MATCH go through the same process again with a new partner. The only damage suffered by the
group is that they will have to repeat the partner search process. If it happens later, just
WITH POTENTIAL PARTNERS
before the planned exchange when you have already bought tickets and project costs
OR IF THEY WITHDRAW? have already been incurred, then other solutions will need to be found.
Getting to know each other is a key step in the formation of a stable partnership. The
HOW TO LEARN WHAT YOUR groups (organisations) must recognise their interests, values and organisational cultures.
If the groups find enough common key points, their partnership can be successful. On the
PARTNERS ARE LIKE?
other hand, if there are too many differences between them, the partnership can prove to
be very challenging. In reality, no group is the same as another, and this diversity can also
serve as an aspect of possible enrichment for projects and the development of learning
opportunities.
Partners learn about each other in different ways, most commonly in the form of presen-
tations and the asking of questions. It is important to have personal contact, since infor-
mation is transferred differently in personal communication than in written form. Using
modern technology, it is possible to set up long-distance personal contact at relatively
low cost with direct voice and video transmission services such as Skype or Viber.
It is good to have members of the participating groups prepare their own presentations
of their group or organisation. In doing so, they should focus on the relevant information
they wish to share. They can explore through dialogue with the other group their in-
ter-group relationships and their respective values, missions and culture.
27
 PLANNING
When groups consider potential partners, they should also think about the qualities that a
WHAT KIND OF PARTNERS potential partner should possess. If the location of the partner organisation, for example;
DO WE WANT? in the Netherlands, at the coast, in an urban centre, is the only condition for choosing a
partner, the project will quite possibly be difficult to implement.
The groups may address similar challenges or have a similar purpose (e.g. preventing
alcohol-related undesirable behaviour among young people), but their different values
can make them unsuitable as partners (e.g. one group’s key value is sober youth and the
other’s is responsible youth not causing damage when drinking). Significantly different
goals and key values lead groups to approach key activities differently. The first group in
the above example would prohibit alcohol among participants altogether and introduce
strict supervision, while the other would allow participants to drink occasionally and focus
on preventing undesirable behaviour.
It is crucial to agree on the values relevant for the project and not on all values. But
remember also that the values of the groups will affect the entire implementation of the
project. In a youth exchange, values can also affect accommodation, food, emphasis in
the programme, organising and work methods, etc. Imagine, for example, the coopera-
tion between a group deriving from do-it-yourself principles and a mostly consumerist
group. Even if the groups wish to cooperate in the field of sport, they will face greater
challenges than groups with similar values.
The decision not to take on a project with another group when you are still getting to
know each other is just as constructive as deciding for cooperation. However, you must
make sure that you inform the rejected potential partner in an appropriate manner, and
on time, in order to avoid unnecessary costs and misunderstandings.
Groups often maintain existing partnerships that have worked in the past to avoid a
great amount of work with additional adapting. Another common decision is to work
with groups from related organisations (e.g. organisations within the scout movement,
environmental organisations, youth wings of political organisations, youth councils), which
increases the probability that their values will match.
28
PLANNING
Cooperation with partners and maintaining long-term relationships require a certain input.
HOW TO BUILD/UPGRADE If partners really wish to work together, the partnership will survive. Good partnership is
COOPERATION BETWEEN based on clear relationships built through time and joint activities strengthen the bond.
PARTNERS? Evaluation is also important for maintaining partner relations. Through the process of
reflecting and evaluating events and work, you define the common field of clear relation-
ships. The more that is clear in a partner relationship, the less risky the decisions for the
next steps will be.
After a joint project is over, the relations between partners can continue on different lev-
els. They can grow into a long-term partnerships between organisations or groups, but
even more common are the interpersonal relationships between group members that
are kept alive according to their wishes and arrangements. It is these personal relation-
ships that often serve as a pool of energy for the development of new group activities
between partners.
The group with a ready set of ideas should prepare a presentation of its views for the
HOW TO EXCHANGE IDEAS other group(s). The process of preparing a presentation is important because it helps in
AND FIND A COMMON the formation of key focus points so that the idea crystallises and gets an ever clearer
message.
DENOMINATOR?
When presenting ideas, it is important that the groups are in dialogue, allowing room for
drawing up possible ideas together, since this is the only way to ensure that all groups
participate in the process.
When the groups are all familiar with the initial ideas, it is time for all the groups to then
reflect on these and come up with any additional or alternative ideas in a similar process
to the one that took place in the original group during the drafting phase. The methods
and techniques for finding the best ideas can be the same, but they should be adapted
to the different communication channels in the process.
Groups that know each other, recognise each other’s potential and manage to agree on
a common idea for cooperation, have a much greater chance of bonding into a cohesive
group. The communication will flow more smoothly, there will be a greater focus on the
common goal, and if the participants are really allowed to participate, it will happen with
experience-based learning.
Shaping a clear common idea that all the members of all the participating groups will
relate to is a key step in the whole process. This is why this stage requires enough time
and enough energy. Views that have not been harmonised at this stage will be reflected
negatively throughout the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the project.
29
 PLANNING PLANNING

Once the partners have defined the idea together or outlined the purpose, objectives Preparing a timetable for a youth exchange is one of the steps in the planning of the
IS THE PROJECT IDEA and work plan for the common project, they need to decide on the form it should take. HOW TO PREPARE A project’s final shape. It is the moment when you try to fit all the ideas for activities into a
Different questions can help the decision process: TIMETABLE FOR A YOUTH consistent whole that will have its internal logic and will offer participants opportunities to
APPROPRIATE FOR THE • Are we eligible as partners for funding from the Erasmus+ Youth in Action? Are all our learn. You also want to ensure that there will be a chance for the participants to socialise
ERAMUS+ PROGRAMME? partners eligible in the same way? EXCHANGE? and have fun, and that there is enough structure so that they will feel safe.
IS IT A YOUTH EXCHANGE • Can the idea be realised within Erasmus+ Youth in Action?
• Is the idea in line with the conditions and priorities of the Programme? A common challenge when first drafting a schedule is finding a way to fit in all the envis-
OR A TRAINING COURSE OR • Do we agree with the values underlying Erasmus+ Youth in Action? aged activities and arranging them to give the programme a logical flow. There needs
SOMETHING ELSE? • Can we realise it as a youth exchange? Could another form of activity be more ap- to be enough time dedicated to each activity and incorporate all the necessary breaks,
propriate? meals and free time. In all this, you must not forget the developments within the group
that will probably follow the expected group dynamics.

MAKING A TIMETABLE: Timetables are often approached by first defining the activities related to the biological

1.
needs of participants (rest, meals and free time). In the same manner, you then schedule
First, mark the arrivals and the process-related activities (arrivals, departures, socialising, concluding, reflection and
Groups change through time and this needs to be considered in the planning of the work
departures of groups evaluation processes, etc.).
HOW WILL THE GROUP throughout the youth exchange project. Group members learn about each other, then
tensions may arise within the group, once these tensions are resolved, group members
DEVELOP DURING THE connect with each other into a stronger whole, complementing each other. When the
day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 day 8 The content is arranged in terms of what should come first and what should follow what.
YOUTH EXCHANGE? project is being concluded, they start saying goodbye and at the end of the process the And then the content blocks are fitted into the available frames in the timetable.
group is dissolved.

als
riv
ar
Special attention to what is happening in the group should be paid during the actu-
al youth exchange, since everything is more strongly expressed in the time intensively
spent together.

esr
rtu
Within the group, the young people will at first be getting to know each other and so

pa
de
seek security in their relationships with one another. This is a time when agreements are
forged that will offer the participants security throughout the entire period of the group’s
life. This is followed by a period of tensions, during which roles within the group are
shaped. In this period, complications may also arise among group members. Participants
may feel uncomfortable during this stage and some may even wish to go home because
they feel they do not get along with the others. When the group overcomes tensions, it
2. Add the timeframe for the basic
needs (sleeping, food, breaks etc.) 3. Add the activities needed for the
groups to connect 4. At the end, fill in the content of
the exchange

connects into a whole. At this stage, excitement takes over in the group, they wish they day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 day 8 day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 day 8 day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 day 8

could do everything together and they see themselves as the best. Through time, this waking up
breakfast
waking up
breakfast
waking up
breakfast
infatuation fades away, but group members recognise each other as important and are morning warm-up morning warm-up

& conclusion

& conclusion
als

als

als
evaluation

evaluation
riv

riv

riv
highly motivated and ready to work together even in the time they are given to relax.

ar

ar

ar
break break break

When the end draws near, the group feels it. The participants do not wish to part and they

g
din

din
lunch lunch lunch

buil

buil
try to complete their relationships, extending them beyond the time the group spends

m
free day

free day
content content

tea

tea
together. There are many goodbyes at this stage and a strong need to exchange views

g&

g&
break break break

etin

etin
about what they have experienced together and to set up possibilities to stay in contact

me

me
group reflection group reflection

(exchange of e-mail addresses, phone numbers, social network profiles, creating social dinner dinner dinner

es

s
re

re
ur

rtu

rtu
rt
pa

pa

pa
network groups, etc.). content content

de

de

de
evening rest evening rest evening rest

Group dynamics is a topic thoroughly studied by social psychology, so you are welcome
to explore this field further.
30 31
 PLANNING PLANNING

WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE PLANNING PHASE?

A financial plan is like the exchange timetable, one of the last steps in planning the proj- The planning phase is the period from when the idea of one group is shaped to when
HOW TO PREPARE ect’s framework. A financial plan is based on a detailed list of costs for the required peo- WHAT DO THEY LEARN the application of the joint project of several partners is submitted for funding to the
A FINANCIAL PLAN? ple, material, tools, travel, accommodation, etc. When the expected concrete expenses IN THIS PHASE? Programme.
are detailed, a complete overview of costs can be made from the list.
This means that at least two partners first intensively coordinate their ideas in an intercul-
EXAMPLE: Table of preparation expenses tural environment. This is followed by translating the ideas agreed upon into a form of a
The overview is broken into aggregate data (e.g. travel, accommodation, food, and ma- project that will not only be understandable to the participating youth groups but also to
terial costs). the broader public, and will at the same time serve the interests of the community.
PRICE UNITS DAYS SUM
During the process of coordinating their ideas, young people learn or strengthen:
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD COSTS

Accommodation 22,00 € 24 12 6.336,00 € DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES AT THE INTERCULTURAL LEVEL

Breakfasts, lunches, dinners (own preparation) 2.612,53 € Through the coordination process, youth groups compare and supplement their ideas.
Lunch at excursion 9,00 € 24 1 216,00 € Young people shape the final idea through dialogue. During this stage, decisions need
be taken by all partner organisations together. If they wish to finalise the common idea,
Juice, coffee and snacks 288,16 €
young people need to discuss in a democratic and inclusive way, all the doubts they may
Total accommodation and food 9.452,69 € have and find a common path that will be suitable for all of them.
PRICE KM DAYS SUM
COMMUNICATION IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
TRANSFERS DURING EXCHANGE Communication about the common project idea usually takes place in a language cho-
Postojna–Koper and back 1,12 € 118 1 132,16 € sen by partners as the working language. This is a foreign language for many of the par-
Postojna – Cerknica and back 1,12 € 32 1 35,84 €
ticipants. This means they will have the opportunity to expand their vocabulary through
the activities, strengthen their oral and writing communication skills and overcome fears
Postojna – Ljubljana and back 1,12 € 108 2 241,92 €
related to communication in foreign languages.
Total transfers 409,92 €

Along with the expenses, you should also plan the income from the project. Calculating TURNING AN IDEA INTO AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
the highest possible financial contribution from the Erasmus+ Programme for a youth ex- The process of creating an implementation plan based on an idea is one of the com-
change is relatively simple, since it is based on prescribed unit cost co-financing. petences related to the development of entrepreneurship among young people. It is
about mastering implementation-related skills, as well as changing their attitude towards
EXAMPLE: Table of project income planning, which is crucial for future use of acquired skills.
The plan is finalised with a review of the balance between the income and expens-
es. These two must be balanced since you cannot spend more money than you raise PLANNING FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF ACTIVITIES
through co-financing and cannot request more money than you expect to spend. By planning the project, young people learn about the potential income for a project and
foresee the costs for activities. These skills are also important for encouraging entrepre-
CENA UNIT SUM
neurship among young people.
Unit costl No. of No. Unit Sum
participants of units
SEARCHING FOR AND STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS
Programme grant – organisational 34,00 € 24 12 dni 9.792,00 € Connecting, setting up and strengthening partnerships are skills that can help young
The amounts in the table do not represent support
the actual grant within the Erasmus+ Pro- people both in their private lives and later in their jobs.
Travel costs Lithuania (Klaipeda) 275,00 € 8 1206 km 2.200,00 €
gramme. Please check the correct amounts
in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for the Travel costs Romania (Constanta) 275,00 € 8 1146 km 2.200,00 € AND MUCH MORE
relevant year. Contribution of the Postojna municipality 3.000,00 €

Participants’ fundraising 175,00 €

Value of materials 218,00 €

Total 17.585,00 €
32 33
 PLANNING
In the planning phase, much stress is put on communication. Participants learn to com-
HOW TO SUPPORT THIS municate in an international setting and meet different culture-specific approaches, but
LEARNING PROCESS? also learn about their own ability to get a message across. Activities helpful for this pe-
riod include communication skill training, reflection on successful transfer of messages
between group members and researching how different words are understood, as they
can get different meanings in an intercultural setting.
Another important aspect in this phase is maintaining the team spirit. It can be helpful
for the group if you set it a mirror, using any projection method that helps participants
express their feelings during group processes with visual or text-based material. Two
popular methods are sentences completion and book titles. The sentence completion
method challenges participants to complete an unfinished sentences like “In our group,
I like it the most that…” or “I get along best with…” In the book title method, you show par-
ticipants a set of titles and ask them to describe what a book with a selected title would
say about their group. Both methods use text but you can also use other visual or motion
based projection methods.
In this phase, when the group is already working together, a youth leader mainly supports
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF group members with questions, by opening new learning opportunities and helping them
monitor their learning.
A YOUTH LEADER IN THE
PLANNING PHASE? Youth leaders support groups in the planning phase in their search for partners. They
help their groups make the first contact and support them in setting up the criteria for
choosing potential partners, while also ensuring that all group members are included in
the decision-making process as far as possible. The youth leader helps in the prepara-
tion of the presentation of the idea, particularly by posing questions about the content
and key focus points. When partners are searching for a common idea, the youth leaders
use their intercultural competences to help translate the concepts between the languag-
es of the participating groups. They are also responsible for ensuring that their respec-
tive groups understand the information correctly.
During the project planning, the youth leader can help as a reference point to check the
consistency of the project plan, make sure the information is written down understand-
ably, help estimate project costs and form a timetable. Here, it is important not to forget
the needs of each group and the group dynamics.
The planning phase is the time of learning to find the common interest and to put it into
HOW DO WE words. From the inclusion point of view the emphasis in this phase is on the empower-
INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE ment of young people to be able to express their needs and wishes. It is also to support
them in the development of assertive communication practices that will enable them to
IN THIS PHASE? develop and plan the project in line with their needs while taking into account the needs
of others.
34
HOW DO WE FACILITATE
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
IN THIS PHASE?
9
For more information please consult the
concept Zones of Learning, one of the sourc-
es: “Processing the Experience: Enhancing
and Generalizing Learning” by John L. Luck-
ner and Reldan S. Nadler.
PLANNING
Assertive communication patterns enable the groups to develop their partnership based
on mutual respect and recognition of the needs of all sides in which all the actors are of
equal value.
The phase of planning also brings another challenge in inclusion. The obstacles for inclu-
sion vary according to the attitudes of the communities where the partner groups come
from and the cultures the groups live in. Therefore the reaction to different people might
be different, for example; according to ability/disability, gender, minority group, etc. The
relationship between the groups provides the opportunity to learn about the situation of
others on one hand and to find diverse solutions on the other.
Planning takes dreaming onto the next step: connecting to potential partners and their
young people. It is the time when diversity spreads beyond the original small group of
young people.
The planning phase is the moment when the young people start to be challenged by
different views and perceptions. A lot of those will come from different cultural lenses. For
some young people this will be the first opportunity to communicate with someone from
another country and this can bring a lot of (unexpected) challenges. For example, young
people will start recognising their stereotypes and prejudices and for some of them, that
will come as a total surprise.
Planning is the time to start thinking about the comfort, stretch and panic zones of the
young people involved9:
• How do I face diversity? How do I react? Do I find it exciting or am I scared?
• Am I able to learn from diversity or it overwhelms me?
• What are some behaviours and views that are surprising or unacceptable for me?
• Do I seek comfort within my cultural group, or am I happy to keep stretching my
views?
• What am I learning about myself? What are the things that are important to me and
are being put into question through encounters with different cultures?
Finally, planning is the moment to think about how to include intercultural learning in the
whole project. How to plan different aspects of the project, so they support intercultural
learning on different levels? Furthermore, how to create learning opportunities that will
go beyond what is seen and done (behaviours) and tackle what is good, true and real
(values, beliefs and worldviews)10. This can be done in relation to the topic, but also in
relation to different parts of everyday lives of young people. It is important to make sure
that there is enough space in the project to reflect on these aspects.
10
For more information please consult the concept Onion Model of Culture by Gerard Hendrik
(Geert) Hofstede.
35

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
• WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE GROUP WHILE WAITING FOR
THE APPLICATION RESULTS?
• WHAT DO WE NEED TO ARRANGE WITH OUR PARTNERS?
• WHAT DO WE DO AT AN ADVANCE PLANNING VISIT (APV)?
• WHAT ABOUT OUR LOCAL PARTNERS?
• WHAT LOGISTIC PREPARATIONS ARE NEEDED AHEAD OF
THE EXCHANGE?
• DO WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY?
• WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS?
• HOW TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE MOTIVATED WHILE
WAITING FOR THE RESULTS?
• WE WOULD RATHER INVITE YOUNG PEOPLE TO
PARTICIPATE ONCE THE RESULTS ARE OUT
• WHAT IF THE PROJECT GETS REJECTED?
• HOW CAN WE TRANSFER RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCES
TO YOUNG PEOPLE IF THEY CAN MESS THINGS UP?
• HOW DO WE DIVIDE THE ROLES AND TASKS?
• HOW TO AVOID HAVING A YOUTH EXCHANGE TURN INTO
preparation
TOURISM?
• WHAT ARE THE FREQUENT RISKS FOR PHYSICAL SAFETY
IN THE YOUTH EXCHANGE?
• HOW DO WE CHECK THE SEVERITY OF THE RISKS?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN
IN THE PREPARATION PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER IN THE
PREPARATION PHASE?
• HOW DO WE INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW DO WE FACILITATE INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN
THIS PHASE?
36
PREPARATION
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
While waiting for the application results, the group should meet regularly in order to
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE keep up their motivation – if the project is approved, intensive preparations will start, and
if not, the group will need to reach a common view on the next steps. This is a time for
GROUP WHILE WAITING FOR
the group to strengthen their bonds. The group can do something challenging or some-
THE APPLICATION RESULTS? thing that will open it outwards and link it to the community (e.g. participating in a group
volunteering project like ‘72 Hours’, or a 2-day camping trip in the wilderness, or some
volunteer work in an asylum centre, etc.). It is not appropriate just to lay back and joke
around in this time. The group is also strengthened by talking about the group – how its
members see each other and their group as a whole (see; ‘How to support this learning
process’, page 46). You can prepare for the exchange regardless of whether it is taking
place in the next weeks or in half a year’s time. For example, the group could be prepar-
ing the presentation of their country and group/organisation, they could be preparing fun
activities or learning new ways to break the ice. They could be learning about the coun-
tries of the partners, communicating with partner groups, setting up a website, sharing
profiles in social media or creating a joint platform, etc.
You should arrange as many details as possible with your partners. Regardless of wheth-
WHAT DO WE NEED er the project is approved or not, some of the issues can be closed early. When the proj-
TO ARRANGE WITH ect is approved, the final preparations can begin: the final programme design, delega-
tion of tasks and responsibilities (for programme implementation, materials, role division
OUR PARTNERS? among leaders, necessary preparations before the exchange, etc.), arrival and departure
times, confirming agreements on how invoices are to be collected, etc. Participants from
each country can make a list of what they think should be prepared and then they can
synchronise the lists in a Skype meeting and agree on what should be done, by whom
and by what date.
You should prepare well for this visit, since only representatives take part in it and not
WHAT DO WE DO AT AN whole groups. Each group should work out before the meeting what they wish to be
ADVANCE PLANNING VISIT included in the exchange. They should consider what they believe to be necessary and
where they can adapt.
(APV)?
The programme of the visit is coordinated by all the partners together, taking into con-
sideration the timeline and also whether translation will be needed. Since some of the
APV participants will meet for the first time during the visit, some time should also be
dedicated for socialising. As far as possible, the APV should result in the final version
of the programme, and it is also an opportunity to visit the venue(s) to have a picture of
where particular activities will take place. You should also talk about work methods. An
APV should result in you being able to return to your group with work based proposals so
that they can make the final decision on these and prepare the relevant activities. If this
has not been done before, you should also agree on the timeline for preparations – who
does what and by what date. You should also talk about a safety plan.
37
 PREPARATION
WHAT ABOUT
OUR LOCAL PARTNERS?
WHAT LOGISTIC
PREPARATIONS ARE NEEDED
AHEAD OF THE EXCHANGE?
exchange venue – reservation;
which rooms can be used and
when; check whether everything
needed is available (e.g. number
of showers and toilets, hot water,
playgrounds, nature in the vicinity,
the condition of sleeping quarters);
when do we pay, etc.
arrivals and departures of
groups; local transportation
for arrivals and departures at
the beginning and end of the
exchange
media and public relations
38
PREPARATION
An analysis of stakeholders was already made during the drafting phase and you know The financial plan is already prepared and when the project is approved you will need
who you wish to include in the project. With the final programme ready, this is the time DO WE HAVE to start looking for additional funding, it should now be clear how much money is already
to start communicating with these stakeholders if you have not done so yet. You should ENOUGH MONEY? provided. The financial plan is amended and the latest changes in the programme are
also contact the ones that might be interested only in the results and not the exchange considered. Co-funding and donors have already been foreseen in the analysis of stake-
itself. You should not wait to approach them until after the exchange, since your conver- holders, so you can now start negotiations and fundraising. If needed, you can look for
sation with them might affect what you will do as part of the exchange (e.g. prepare a film additional sources. Here, the participants should be as strongly engaged as possible, but
about outdoor activities for young people, a photo exhibition about a segment of the when leaders need to use their existing connections, they should consult with the group
exchange). All these discussions are up to the participants, but their youth leader should beforehand.
support them.
Unexpected things always happen on exchanges, which is why you should prepare an
WHAT IF SOMETHING assessment of unpredictable situations, safety mechanisms and measures. You should
Prepare everything in detail. The group can make a checklist of the necessary tasks, to also consider possible problems with the venue (e.g. what to do in case of rain if you are
which you can also add more as you go along if needed:
UNEXPECTED HAPPENS?
camping in tents) and any potential problems will affect the programme. Make a list of
possible safety and accident-related scenarios (illnesses, accidents on the road, alcohol
use, inappropriate behaviour from participants and or leaders, someone getting lost, etc.),
TO DO LIST and agree on what to do in such cases. A dynamic approach to this can be used so that
the participants understand why this is necessary.11 It is important that everyone knows
who makes the decisions in critical situations.
technical equipment
each group meals and snacks
takes care of
its insurance
buy/prepare all
the necessary list of participants
materials
materials 11
Source: Oblak, A. (2013). Priprave
for participants
prostovoljcev na globalno prostovoljsko
delo, Sloga, Ljubljana, page 30.
procedure for refunds and http://www.tuditi.si/data/useruploads/
handing over invoices files/1389713019.pdf
cooperation with local partners
during the exchange, etc.
39
 PREPARATION PREPARATION

Quite some time can pass from the drafting of the idea to when the application results
HOW TO KEEP YOUNG are announced and young people can lose motivation in the meantime. Everyone has
PEOPLE MOTIVATED WHILE ups and downs in their motivation, not just the young people. However, if the participants
are actively involved in shaping the exchange, the loss of motivation will probably be
WAITING FOR THE RESULTS? much smaller.
PEOPLE IF THEY CAN MESS
You should tell the group in advance how much time the process will take and try to
divide the preparation time evenly over that period. Meetings during the waiting period
should be prepared dynamically. The group can also get involved in activities that are not
related to the project. You can encourage them to think about what activities they relate
to and do them together so that they will bond further and feel pride in their achieve-
ments. Partners can use the time to get to know each other better and create things
together (e.g. on the internet).
The question is who the project belongs to – is it the leader’s project or a project of the
HOW CAN WE TRANSFER youth group, in which the leader takes part? A youth exchange is a learning mobility. The
RESPONSIBILITY FOR learning process takes place all the time – the more the participants are included, the
more they can learn, and the leader should support them in this. They will learn the most
FINANCES TO YOUNG if they are given the responsibility to carry out something. If you have a back-up plan all
the time and or do not give them a chance to take part in the main aspects and decisions,
THINGS UP? they will feel this and it will be reflected in their motivation. This is exactly what youth work
is meant for – to give young people a chance to try and a chance to learn directly by
doing. This includes making mistakes and learning how to deal with them. You should not
forget that leaders also make mistakes – and the world keeps turning. And what is the
worst that can happen if they make a mistake concerning the finances?

This, of course, is possible but it is also risky. By that time, the idea is already clearly
WE WOULD RATHER INVITE defined and you are looking for young people to relate to this idea and fit the profile of
YOUNG PEOPLE the exchange. The probability of finding them is low. You can quickly end up with young
people who are not as motivated as you expected – they are only interested in a partic-
TO PARTICIPATE ONCE THE ular segment of the exchange. They may not be interested in the learning process but
RESULTS ARE OUT. rather the relaxed and dynamic time, they will probably be attracted by the opportunity
to go abroad (which is fine, but only if they also take interest in the other aspects of the
exchange as well).

It also increases the probability that major misunderstandings will arise during the ex-
change due to different perceptions and that the participants will not be as ready to
engage in the follow-up of the exchange. Furthermore, participants will not contribute to
the preparation of the programme, which is not in line with the guidelines of the Erasmus+
Programme – which stands for active participation as the way for young people to learn
the most. If part of the group is active from the start and some of the participants join in
later, teambuilding and harmonisation of views will be very important. Moreover, the new
team members will not be able to change what has already been prepared, which can
cause additional tensions.
If funding for the project is not approved, you will have to decide whether to carry it out
WHAT IF THE PROJECT anyway, postpone it or discard it. If you have enough funding and would only need a
GETS REJECTED? relatively small amount of additional means, you could implement the project anyway. If
the youth group has designed the project on its own, they will mostly be motivated to at
least postpone it and apply again.
In any case, you should make sure the group members do not take this as a defeat, but
rather a lesson. Help them recognise all they have achieved so far and celebrate it –
celebrate the joint effort.
You divide them according to who feels close to something and what needs to be done.
HOW DO WE DIVIDE THE Encourage the participants to choose a task they are interested in but do not yet know
ROLES AND TASKS? how to approach, since this is how they will learn the most. And they can always turn to
the leader with questions. Some tasks will not be attractive to anyone, but they still need
to be done. The group should talk about these tasks and find a way to distribute them,
making sure that this is done evenly. You can encourage them with a new or humorous
approach to a task to illustrate how important each task is for the whole.
No one from the group may be willing to take some of the tasks. The leader can choose
to leave them unaddressed even if this means trouble, since the group will learn more
from this than if the leader were to clean up after them. It is up to the leader’s judgement
if any of these tasks are necessary for the safety of the participants and on these they
must insist.

40 41
 PREPARATION PREPARATION

Given that youth exchanges are a type of mobility project where one of the main aims is The protection and safety of participants involved are important aspects of every activity.
HOW TO AVOID HAVING A to get to know the host community and that they include a significant portion of informal WHAT ARE THE FREQUENT Next to obligatory insurance of all participants (each of the involved partners is responsi-
YOUTH EXCHANGE TURN moments, this question naturally appears in most of the conversations about youth ex- RISKS FOR ble for the insurance of their group of young people) it is advisable to also consider other
changes. The answer is not straightforward. It depends on a lot of factors and only when possible risks young people might face during the youth exchange in order to discuss
INTO TOURISM? the overall picture is taken into consideration, can you make a decision for yourself. PHYSICAL SAFETY IN THE beforehand how to deal with them. This way they might find themselves in less complete-
YOUTH EXCHANGE? ly unexpected situations.
These are some of the elements that could help you understand what is sometimes, a
very thin line between a youth exchange and a touristic excursion:
RISKY BEHAVIOURS HEALTH ISSUES MOBILITY OTHER SITUATIONS
THE TOPIC
• alcohol / drugs • water/food poisoning • stairs/elevator • weather conditions
The topic of the youth exchange will influence the number and types of visits/excursions • accidents during activities • allergies • lack of access to security and medical • safe area of the venue
you will have in your programme. If your topic is connected to, for example, cultural her- • sexual harassment • getting ill care • machines/electricity
itage, architecture or environment, etc. going to field trips and/or visiting different places • unsafe sex • attacks (panic, epilepsy) • traffic accidents • attacks and robberies
• lost documents • dietary needs • motion sickness • specific status rule in the countries
will be a necessity and will probably take a significant amount of time in your schedule. • lost luggage • toxic infections • getting lost • overall attitude in the country
This does not mean that visits/excursion should not be a part of your programme if the • … • asthma • … • terrorism
• blisters • war, fights, protests
subject is not specific to these areas listed. What is important is that the learning is pres- • diarrhoea • natural disasters
ent in all moments and that the visit is not just for the visit’s sake. • cuts and bruises • bad hygienic conditions
• twisted joints • broken property
• sun stroke • …
GETTING TO KNOW THE HOST COMMUNITY VS. GETTING TO KNOW • forgotten medication
THE REST OF THE COMMUNITIES • burning
• disabilities
One of the things that can help you determine whether there is potentially going to be • …
too much tourism, is the ratio between getting to know the host community and getting
to know the communities of the other young people present. There is a clear advan-
tage to visiting and learning about the different aspects of the host community and this Location: Event: Date: Activity: Person responsible:
advantage should be taken, but it is also important to involve and learn from the other HOW DO WE CHECK THE
communities as well. This dialogue is essential for a thorough exploration of the topic,
for facilitation of intercultural learning and for empowering and involving all the young SEVERITY OF THE RISKS? Date of assessment: Risk for people Risk analysis -Comments/thoughts
/resources -Reasons to be unacceptable
people in the process of sharing. -Possible changes to mitigate risks
The following tool might help the youth
ORGANISED WORKSHOPS VS. INFORMAL MOMENTS leaders to assess the levels of risk of
Probability Severity Risk assessment Level of risk
The difference between youth exchanges and some other educational projects (e.g. the activities and develop the measures
training courses) is in the unique pedagogical approach that combines non-formal and that mitigate the risks. The transforma- getting lost people likely 1 5 5 Maps of the town for
informal learning. Once again depending on the topic, the programme of a youth ex- tion of the potential risks in formulas and participants, emer-
gency numbers,
change should include planned (preferably organised or co-organised by the young assessing their potential, is providing numbers of contact
people) non-formal educational sessions that ensure; group development, inclusion of grounds for less biased decisions by the people in Hosting
all young people in the process of learning, allow facilitation of intercultural learning, and group leaders. Organisation
set the foundations for exploring the topic from different perspectives. At the same time,
the programme should also include a significant amount of free time, which is a very
important element of any youth exchange. The informal time should be understood as
providing space for young people to get together and learn from each other through
informal learning. In order to achieve this, it is important to have a number of possibilities
on offer to the young people, such as: place and requisites for sport activities, board and Definitions – Probability Definitions – Severity Risk assessment is calculated:
1 = Very unlikely 1 = Minor injury Probability X Severity
card games, common meeting points, etc. 2 = Unlikely 2 = Injury requiring first aid Level of risk:
3 = Likely 3 = Severe injury (takes more than 3 days to heal) 1 – 5 = low risk
4 = Very likely 4 = Severe injury that needs hospital attention 6 – 10 = moderate risk
5 = Almost certain 5 = Death 12 – 25 = high risk

42 43
 PREPARATION PREPARATION

WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE PREPARATION PHASE?

In the preparation phase, you wait for the application results, finalise the programme in
WHAT DO THEY LEARN cooperation with your partners, search for additional funding, prepare a plan for the safe-
IN THIS PHASE? ty and protection of participants, and prepare the final logistics details.
Young people learn or strengthen:
MOTIVATION
Young people face motivation swings which impacts on their work. You can support them
in learning how to keep motivation high and how they also need to take some time off
to be able to get back to work with more zeal afterwards. A lack of motivation can be a
reminder to take a look at whether you are still treading the path you want to.

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) RESPONSIBILITY

Different tools are used in communication with partners and young people learn their
different features. They see what works well and what does not. If you do a reflection
on this experience, it will also be easier for them to reach an opinion on what is more
efficient and what contributes to better communication. Moreover, they will be able to use
ICT as support tools in planning and in follow-up activities (e.g. a checklist for tasks that is
available to all participants, co-shaping social networks).
In this phase, the young people take responsibility for carrying out different tasks. They
are often interrelated or necessary for the exchange. They learn to take on and carry
out tasks responsibly, ask for help on time and through all of this also learn to work with
the team. They learn to accept the consequences of their (non)actions. Thereby, they
strengthen their confidence, skills for better employability and the competence of entre-
preneurship.

ORGANISATION SKILLS INTEGRATION IN THE COMMUNITY

Before the actual exchange, organisational work is most intensive. This includes logistical By working more closely with the local community, young people learn about the impor-
support for the project, final arrangements, coordination of partners and communication tance of internal integration in the local community and how differently people see young
with them. It is necessary for the young people to learn to be adaptable and to take care people and their activities. They can learn to better recognise the needs of local environ-
in accomplishing the tasks they have taken. These abilities strengthen employability and ments, about the importance of cooperation and the need for synergies. They can get a
coordination skills. broader picture of the role of youth activities in the local environment. This adds to their
social and civic competences.
COMMUNICATION IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
In this phase, the group communicates with different stakeholders and learns how to
communicate appropriately with different people – a partner group of young people,
financial supporters, the mayor, the owner of the venue, etc. They learn how to translate
notions into different contexts so that everyone gets the message – talking about the
youth exchange in different ways to different parties; parents, local officials, etc. This
strengthens the competence of communicating in different languages, entrepreneurship
and confidence.

RESOLVING DISAGREEMENTS
During the preparation, disagreements will arise because the work is intensive. It could
be because you cannot always clear things up, because you may be bothered by the
level of a partner’s cooperation, you do not always understand what is going on, or be-
cause people are not doing the tasks they agreed to do, etc. In all this, the young people
learn how to deal with such situations and how to continue. They learn to recognise and
express their feelings and different behavioural patterns, they learn to listen to others
and look for common ground for continuing the work. They learn what facing conflicts
means and what it means to avoid facing them, while also learning about how to talk to
people in such situations. This contributes to communication competences, confidence,
self-esteem, and maturity.

44 45
 PREPARATION
To improve a young person’s overview of the organisational work as a whole, you can
HOW TO SUPPORT show them how to develop and use to-do lists, to which the whole group has access.
THIS LEARNING PROCESS? Together, you can create a table of what needs to be done before the exchange. Assign
who will be responsible for checking the list and decide how often you should all discuss
it together.
Example: To-do list
WHAT? WHO? DEADLINE PREPARATIONS MATERIAL WHO HELPS
NEEDED
Transport to venue of
exchange
Accommodation
Many different arrangements need to be made with different people before the ex-
change can take place – owner of the venue, shops, partners, mayor, etc. If the youth
group has no experience with such arrangements, you can practice with simulations of
telephone calls with the relevant people. After each simulation, make a reflection and
discuss possible improvements.
Unless the team is engaged in another activity, they will first have a more laid-back period
while waiting for the results. When the project is approved, more intense preparations
for the exchange will start, so the team might run out of time for communication within
the group and might start feeling some fatigue. This is the time to pay special attention
to the bond within the team, since it will help face conflicts and misunderstandings. Here,
it is helpful for the group to discuss about how they see themselves and how they are
working together. To help you start, you could use the Belbin team roles model12. After
explaining the different roles in the team, ask the group members to consider who plays
which role. They should present their views to each other and discuss what would help
them improve their communication. Do not forget to tell the group that all the roles are
needed and that they can also change through time.
Moreover, communication improves with feedback – what people think of an idea, how
they see their cooperation, what bothers them, etc. Discuss when team members find
feedback useful, what is the easiest way to accept it and how they usually give it. Togeth-
er, you should take a look at what makes feedback comprehensive and good. They can
also practice providing feedback and then reflect on it to improve.
12
See http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8.
46
PREPARATION
A youth leader knows best what the main tasks in this period are. They guide the group
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A in figuring out what needs to be done and what should be done, but leave them the
YOUTH LEADER IN THE freedom of discovering this themselves as much as possible.
PREPARATION PHASE? While waiting for the results, leaders can encourage their groups to take on different ac-
tivities that will strengthen their bonds and to take time to communicate with the partner
groups. They can also help their groups with activities that include discussions about
each other.
Once the results are out, the leader guides the group in distributing the tasks for this peri-
od and supports them in formulating the final programme. If there is an Advance Planning
Visit, the leader also attends, ensuring that the young representative of the group they
accompany is as active as possible. If the representative has certain fears, the leader
helps them overcome them.
Leaders help their groups look for appropriate methods for their exchange, supporting
them in preparing the programme and activating them as much as possible. They make
sure that tasks and roles are assigned, and show them how to monitor the progress of
a project.
They work with the young people on different ways of communicating with different peo-
ple and enable them to reflect on the experience, so that they can make the most of their
learning.
Youth leaders should not carry out the tasks of the participants and should be patient
when progress is difficult and slow. The biggest challenge is seeing mistakes coming –
will they manage to restrain themselves in the tension and allow young people to make
the mistakes that will bring greater learning outcomes or will they break the tension and
resolve a situation themselves? Regardless of the decision, youth leaders are responsi-
ble for the safety of their groups and must intervene if a situation calls for it.
An important part of the preparation phase is preparing the safe and secure environment
HOW DO WE INCLUDE in which the learning process will take place.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Safety and security include several dimensions. One part is the general security of the
IN THIS PHASE? participants in order to be able to learn. Another level is the intercultural safety. Partic-
ipants need to feel safe and have the feeling of support when encountering cultural
differences. Cooperation in an intercultural environment challenges the basic beliefs of
individuals and groups. In order to process them young people need additional support.
What is safe is also defined differently in different cultures. The groups need to have the
common agreement on what safety means to them in order for all the future participants
to feel good.
47
 PREPARATION
HOW DO WE FACILITATE
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
IN THIS PHASE?
13
For inspiration on methods and activities
to be used in this phase, please check:
“T-kit no. 4 Intercultural Learning” by the
Council of Europe and European Com-
mission and the “All Different All Equal Edu-
cation Pack” by the Council of Europe.
48
PREPARATION
When working with young people with fewer opportunities, additional elements of secu- In this phase and the latter, self-reflec- No matter how insignificant they seem all elements of living and working together in
rity are often put in place in order to provide additional clarifications or space of security tion and critical thinking are the best the youth exchange can present an opportunity for intercultural learning, if approached
(for example when working with young people that have bad experiences with alco- friends of intercultural learning. It is carefully.
holism in the family, the measure of creating a space in which no alcohol is used is an important to try and motivate young
additional element of safety or when there is a participant in the group who has a chronic people to reflect and critically review Some of the things that should be covered in this phase are:
disease, the proximity of a health centre is an element of additional safety). different situations and not to stick to
their own cultural lenses and the pat-
It is important that young people are invited to co-create the elements of security for the terns they grew up with.
future common space based on their needs.
One more thing connected with inclusion and is happening in this phase of the project
can be some of the young people testing the group and youth leaders to see if the
inclusion is for real. Young people (especially those who have been excluded from activ-
ities due to various reasons) might join the process with a disbelief that the invitation to
active participation and inclusion is genuine. Therefore they might test the reactions of IDENTITY
the group and the youth leader in order to see their reaction (do they walk the talk). It is In order for young people to engage more
often a very energy consuming part of the process for all the actors involved but is more confidently in living and working together with
than worth the result when clear boundaries of behaviour are set and the message of people from different backgrounds, it helps if
inclusion is reaffirmed. they reflect on who they are and understand
what are the different cultures incorporated
This phase is happening before the implementation of the activity. In line with the en- into their identity. When faced with difference, STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICES
visaged programme of the youth exchange, during this phase it is crucial to create a especially values and beliefs, it is then easier In the preparation phase, it is important to help young people
common understanding among the participants in the national groups. This is important for them to process the impact on their identity. become aware of the stereotypes and prejudices they have.
because it is only possible for a group to cooperate with other groups when they have a It is also important to develop understanding that stereotypes
clear distribution of roles among the members. and prejudices are something that our brains operate with and
that will always be there. What young people should think about
is how to continuously challenge them and not allow them
to impact upon themselves. Youth exchanges alone are not
The preparation phase is perhaps the most important phase when it comes to the facili- enough to break the stereotypes, but are enough for significant
tation of intercultural learning in youth exchanges. Although the great majority of learning questions to be raised.
will happen in the implementation phase, it is during the preparation that foundations are
being set for this process to happen! ZONES OF LEARNING
Although mentioned in the previous phases,
It is essential that there is a good portion of preparation dedicated to intercultural learning in the preparation there should be a focus
happening with all the groups of young people that are participating in the exchange. on understanding the comfort, stretch and CULTURAL SHOCK
The approach and methods used will differ depending on the competencies of the lead- panic zones of the young people, particularly Although it is not that usual in youth exchanges, it can
ers experience of the group.13The level of work dedicated to intercultural learning in this in relation to diversity. Developing that still happen and it is good to prepare participants for it.
Especially if this is their first time going abroad and/or
phase will also depend on the topic of a youth exchange. Different topics for discussion understanding helps in planning the programme
among partners in the preparation phase will also lean on the cultural perceptions: of activities for the youth exchange in order to the diversity of participants involved will be significant.
• How do we approach the topic? stretch the participants but to also understand For more information about the cultural shock, please
• How do we perceive safety and support depending on our backgrounds? how to create a comfort zone for them to come check Cultural Shock Curve14.
• What is acceptable accommodation for the young people? back to and in this state reflect on their learning.
• What kind of food will we be prepared? 14
For more information please consult the concept U-Curve
• What kind of interaction is appropriate for young people? Etc. of Cultural Adjustment, first introduced by Sverre Lysgaard.
49

HOW IS A YOUTH EXCHANGE
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND
HOW DO WE DO IT?
• HOW IS A YOUTH EXCHANGE CARRIED OUT?
• HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH PARTNERS?
• HOW TO ORGANISE THE TRAVEL AND WHAT NEEDS
SPECIAL ATTENTION?
• HOW DO WE SOLVE UNPREDICTED SITUATIONS?
• WHAT RULES NEED TO BE DISCUSSED BEFORE AND
DURING THE EXCHANGE?
• HOW TO MAKE EVALUATIONS AT AN EXCHANGE?
• WHAT IS YOUTHPASS AND HOW DO WE PREPARE IT?
• IS AN ‘INTERCULTURAL EVENING’ A TRUE EXAMPLE
OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING?
• WHO DO THE RULES APPLY TO?
• HOW GROUP DYNAMICS AFFECT THE YOUTH
EXCHANGE?
• WHAT IS THE POINT OF CONCLUSION ACTIVITIES IF
WE WILL ALL BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS?
• SHOULD WE START OUR ACTIVITIES EVEN IF ONE OF
THE GROUPS IS ARRIVING A DAY LATER?
• HOW TO PRESENT AND PREPARE YOUTHPASS
CERTIFICATES?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN
IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER IF THE
PROGRAMME WAS PREPARED BY THE YOUNG
implementation
PEOPLE?
• HOW DO WE INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS
PHASE?
• HOW DO WE FACILITATE INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
IN THIS PHASE?
50
IMPLEMENTATION
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
A youth exchange is a short-term group learning mobility that is the peak of a project. The
exchange can last between 5 and 21 days, excluding travel days.
CARRIED OUT?
The youth exchange itself starts with the travel of groups and final preparations of the
venue. Participating groups gather and carry out the planned activities. The implementa-
tion is always a bit different from the plans, since you need to adapt as you go along to
the groups’ needs and on-site conditions; the weather, traffic jams and other factors that
can change your plans.
During the exchange, it is necessary to document and monitor the progress of activities,
as this will allow you to evaluate results afterwards. Usually, groups take a look back
at the end of the exchange, reflecting on their work, evaluating the process they went
through and defining the outcomes and results.
The exchange concludes with the return of the participating groups to their homes, which
is followed by an evaluation of the activities and the whole project, and by the dissemi-
nation of the results.
Communication with partners is most lively in the implementation phase. Groups need
HOW DO WE to; coordinate the logistics of arrivals and departures, make various arrangements before
the start of activities, coordinate details within different content segments, transfer individ-
COMMUNICATE WITH
uals’ feedback to the group, monitor and evaluate the activities, take care of unexpected
PARTNERS? situations, and much more.
It is necessary to use a clear common language and to be ready to check how people
understood something. In an intercultural environment, the same words do not always
bear the same meaning. Another important aspect is to be ready to communicate openly
and honestly, as this is the only way to overcome cultural barriers.
The travel to the exchange can be a major challenge both for the group and the support-
HOW TO ORGANISE THE ing youth leader. One of the main points during the travel is the safety of everyone. This
TRAVEL AND WHAT NEEDS makes public transportation the most appropriate choice. It makes travel costs lower and
most of the responsibility for safety is entrusted to the transfer companies, which have the
SPECIAL ATTENTION? appropriately trained staff and appropriate insurance.
The travel can also serve as an excellent opportunity for learning experiences for the
participants. They can take different responsibilities for organising the trip (“What kind of
travel will take the least amount of time and will be comfortable?”), make sure to achieve
the set goals (“We must be on Platform 3 by 12:25.”), take care of each other in the group
(“Peter, are you alright? You look a little pale.”) and mind the finances of the group (“your
website says we can get a group discount for the tickets.”). Through this experience
young people can have a relatively quick try at managing a project with clear, measurable
objectives.
51
 IMPLEMENTATION
Unpredictable situations always have been and always will be, part of the work with
HOW DO WE SOLVE other people. When facing something unexpected, it is best to follow the principles you
UNPREDICTED SITUATIONS? accepted when the project was approved for funding within the Programme. Erasmus+
envisages that you will need to take care of the learning opportunities of the young peo-
ple, encourage their active participation and ensure equal inclusion and the safety of all
participants. What does this mean specifically for addressing unexpected situations? En-
15
For more information about important couraging active participation means looking for solutions together with the participants.15
features of the Programme and the princi- In doing so, you need to make sure to include everyone; otherwise the solutions will not
ples of non-formal learning that need to be suit the needs of the entire group. However, this process can only take place if safety is
followed in all project phases, please read ensured. In case of threatening situations, you must first take care of everyone’s safety,
the Programme Guide Erasmus+ (year 2015, and look for learning experiences based on the events later.
Important features of the Programme on page
11, and non-formal and informal learning prin-
ciples in Part C of the Programme Guide). If you follow the principles of the Programme, you will be consistent and will also help turn
situations into learning experiences for all those involved.
Rules can always be divided into two groups: the non-negotiable ones and the ones that
WHAT RULES NEED TO BE are up for discussion. Some rules are related to laws (e.g. smoking ban in closed public
spaces or no alcohol for minors) or rules of organisations (e.g. house rules envisage
DISCUSSED BEFORE AND
cleaning your own table after meals; rooms must be vacated by 10am on the day of de-
DURING THE EXCHANGE? parture or an extra day is charged), so they must be followed regardless of what kind of
group you are working with. Other rules may be negotiable (e.g. our exchange is a no-al-
cohol activity so no one will drink; we speak one person at a time). Everyone should take
part when defining rules, since this creates a common space. If the leaders sets the rules
on their own, they will have much more work in implementing them, and at the same time
the group will miss out on a chance for active participation and a learning opportunity for
strengthening the democratic process of reaching agreements.
16
Programme Guide Erasmus+, year 2015,
page 11. The rules that are up for discussion must be in line with the important features of the Pro-
gramme16, as this improves the environment for young people’s learning.
Reflection and evaluation are among the key steps of learning. This makes them a nec-
HOW essary part of youth exchanges. In practice, most often evaluations are designed only as
TO MAKE EVALUATIONS a basic gathering of information from among the participants, this lacks a more thorough
insight into the processes that took place during the exchange.
AT AN EXCHANGE?
During an exchange, it is good to evaluate the results, the learning experiences and the
outcomes, as well as the impressions of everyone involved. It is important to recognise
the elements of learning that could potentially contribute to the active participation of
young people in their community and those that will better their employability.
Many different methods are available for evaluation, and by using evaluation questions
you can guide the evaluation into the direction you wish to know more about. Therefore,
it might be helpful for you to explore this area further.
52
IMPLEMENTATION
Youthpass is a tool for recognising and presenting the outcomes of the learning pro-
WHAT IS YOUTHPASS AND cesses. The certificate is designed for reflecting on one’s own learning in the process of
HOW DO WE PREPARE IT? non-formal and informal learning. Participants create it together with their leaders at the
end of their exchange project.
Youthpass consists of several parts. The first page includes information about the project
(in this case a youth exchange) and the definition of youth exchanges within the Erasmus+
Programme. The second page provides a description of the youth exchange project. The
rest of the certificate describes the Youthpass holder’s learning outcomes, arranged in
sections, according to the 8 key competences of lifelong learning.
The first two pages are filled in by applicant organisations, while participants fill the rest
themselves, with the support of their youth leaders.
The document is prepared online. Organisations and individuals enter their information
into an online form, and print out and sign the Youthpass at the end.
Although there is a separate segment in every chapter that follows intercultural learning
IS AN and its facilitation, based on the practice very often encountered during youth exchang-
‘INTERCULTURAL EVENING’ es, there is a need to address this particular question.
A TRUE EXAMPLE OF What is usually referred to as an ‘Intercultural evening’ is one or more evenings in a youth
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING? exchange where participants present the countries they are coming from, through: tast-
ing different products (food and drinks), listening to traditional music, dancing traditional
dances, showing different symbols (e.g. flags), and the presenting of facts about their
country through oral or multimedia presentations. The methods used can vary depend-
ing on the group and the topic, but the elements are more or less the same.
If the safety of the young people is ensured (regarding for example alcohol consump-
tion), these evenings can be a lot of fun, can contribute to bringing participants closer to
each other and can help them learn about each other’s countries on a cognitive level.
What is missing from this picture?
• Learning mainly stays on the level of information, which most of the time could be
acquired during a touristic visit to a certain country
• There are not too many opportunities for deeper and more meaningful interactions,
that would challenge young people’s views and perhaps even cultural frameworks
• There is usually no recognition of cultural pluralism within one country
• Since most of the presentations stay on the level of obvious behaviours, there is a
strong potential for reinforcing stereotypes
• Some of the symbols or ‘facts’ can lead to clashes within one country group or with
young people from other countries and communities.
53
 IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION

17
For more information please consult Devel-
opmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity by
Milton J. Bennet.
If an ‘Intercultural evening’ would be placed on Bennett’s scale17 of intercultural sensitiv-
ity, most of its elements would fit on the stage of Superiority.
How to make it Intercultural?
• By making it just one of the evenings that will focus on the upper levels of culture, while
ensuring that there is an understanding that without other elements, there can be no
talk of intercultural learning.
• By complementing it with elements that would go ‘under the surface’ or by organising
different sessions/evenings that follow-it up (e.g. Reading children stories and trying
to find educational morals in them).
• By acknowledging diversity and presenting different communities within one country.
• By processing the emotions experienced by the young people when facing diversity.
• By being creative in introducing elements that would go beyond simple perceptions
of behaviours.
Group dynamics, which were already discussed in the chapter on planning, are one of
HOW GROUP DYNAMICS the dimensions that strongly affect how a youth exchange will go.
AFFECT THE
Each youth exchange has its own dynamics, but since all the participants are members
YOUTH EXCHANGE ? of more than one group at a time during the youth exchange project, these processes
will run simultaneously.
A group gathered to organise a youth exchange will have started the process of forming
and learning about each other when the ideas were put on the table. This group has
hopefully resolved any tensions and formed a bond and level of cooperation while they
were preparing for the actual exchange. Having been through this process will allow the
group to work with other groups more easily. After the exchange, they will continue to
work together through the evaluation phase and will gradually dissolve after the conclu-
sion of the project and the dissemination of results.

Even if all these elements would be in place, an ‘Intercultural evening’ (we propose it to
be called ‘Food and Drink Evening’, so it would not be misleading for the young people)
cannot achieve much in terms of intercultural learning. It is short, it does not allow for
meaningful interactions to happen and it still mainly focuses on behaviours. But perhaps
it can be utilised for implementing other aspects of intercultural learning.
The rules apply to all!
WHO DO THE RULES
APPLY TO? Equality is a key emphasis in youth work. If you wish participants to truly learn about
living in a community, they should be actively engaged in designing the rules. On the
other hand, this also means that the youth leaders must also be actively engaged in the
designing of the rules. Once the rules are set, they apply equally to all. By following the
same rules, leaders serve as an example to their groups. If a group agrees to have an
alcohol-free exchange (which is in line with the principles of promoting a healthy lifestyle
among young people and helps reduce risks at an exchange), this rule must also be
respected also by the youth leaders.
Parallel to this process, similar processes of group dynamics are taking place in the other
group(s), but groups tend to have different paces and needs. At a given point in time, the
readiness in different groups to work with the other groups can be at completely different
levels.
The third running process is the group dynamics during the actual youth exchange. This
group must also get acquainted on the first day and set the rules, smooth out their rela-
tionships by working together. After making it through the initial tensions they must set up
a bond for the duration of the exchange.
The fourth parallel process takes place among youth leaders who themselves form an-
other group and who are the team that directs the youth exchange together.
As you can see, group dynamics can vary and can affect each other. It is a special chal-
group 1
lenge when groups that are meeting have not managed to set up their internal bonds.
group 2
Tensions in one group can then spark tensions in all the groups, which reflects in reduced
group 3 quality of the programme and unpleasant feelings among those involved. This is why it is
Leaders at the youth exchange important to make sure the groups headed to a youth exchange have been formed well
in advance (or if changes in the groups occur, that they are made as soon as possible),
Participants in the youth exchange
since this can otherwise have a negative impact on the processes of cooperation. This
is also one of the reasons why the practice of some organisations to look for additional
participants just before the exchange should be discouraged.

youth
exchange
Project duration in weeks

54 55
 IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION

When a youth exchange is coming to a close, participants are heading in different di-
WHAT IS THE POINT OF rections. It is important to make sure in this period that the group can finish its mission,
CONCLUSION ACTIVITIES close the open issues and direct its energy into an invitation to new activities. It is also
important to motivate the participants to continue their work with the evaluation and the
IF WE WILL ALL BE dissemination of results in their home setting.
FACEBOOK FRIENDS?
The activities for the conclusion of an exchange serve to recognise and celebrate the
successes of the time together, and to recognise the good practices that could be used
again in other groups in the future. If the exchange was not successful, evaluate it togeth-
er and try to translate the lessons learnt to other projects. At the same time, the activities
allow participants to say goodbye to each other properly.
Online social networks make it easier to maintain relationships with a larger number of
people and can help everyone to keep in touch after the activities are over. However
there is still a need to give participants a chance to say goodbye and to get a sense of
closure at the end of the physical part of the youth exchange. Closure in relationships
is an important part of learning that can make the future lives and work of participants
easier.
For young people, Youthpass is an opportunity to present in a structured way their par-
HOW TO PRESENT AND ticipation and learning from the youth exchange and the entire process of preparing,
PREPARE YOUTHPASS implementing and evaluating the project. It is useful when looking for a job or for other
future trainings and mobility activities.
CERTIFICATES?
Youthpass can also be a tool for reflection throughout the project, starting with the draft-
ing phase. In the first phase, the questions relevant for Youthpass could be: What do we
expect from the youth exchange? What do we wish to learn and how? In the preparation
stage, Youthpass is mainly a tool for achieving learning goals. During the final prepara-
tions and implementation, participants can, for example, use Youthpass to recognise their
learning in relation to taking responsibility for the group. The implementation phase turns
the focus to how they will exchange experience, and what they will learn from others
and how. In order to do this you will need to plan time for when the groups can reflect.
During the evaluation and conclusion phases, the young people can plan future learning
objectives as well as how they plan to utilise their Youthpass.

When to start with activities is an important question when organising a youth exchange.
SHOULD WE START OUR Participants who have just arrived need some time to rest and settle in, but waiting too
ACTIVITIES EVEN IF ONE OF long will bring other frustrations.
THE GROUPS IS ARRIVING A The arrival times of the different groups should be considered when preparing the pro-
DAY LATER? gramme. Some activities for people to get acquainted can take place even if all of the
groups are not yet present; however, decisions that will affect everyone should wait.
Likewise, you should wait to do the important activities until everyone is gathered.

With the arrival of every new member, a group is back at the start with the rearranging of
relationships and will once again have to go through the processes of meeting, making
arrangements and role divisions. Every time the process takes place it goes a bit quicker
because most of the group is already in some level of harmony.

56 57
 IMPLEMENTATION
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE?
WHAT DO THEY LEARN
IN THIS PHASE?
18
While the concept of being different (and tol-
erance to those who are different) approaches
people in the spirit of the us and not us (those
different), the concept of diversity underlines
that people are essentially very similar and are
only different regarding some things. Different-
ness is thus based on highlighting differences,
while diversity starts from common features.
58
The implementation phase is the one part of the project when all the participating groups
are together. Direct communication among all those involved is most lively in this period,
and at the same time the interpersonal relations are most comprehensive, compared
to the other periods of the project when communication is usually limited to a single
channel.
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
With at least two groups from different environments taking part, youth exchanges are an
excellent place to learn about diversity.18 Approaching a youth exchange from this per-
spective, their learning of new things will strengthen the belief that they can cooperate
with others and learn about differences from them.
An important dimension of intercultural learning is the ability to accept ambiguity. Through
cooperation in an intercultural environment, you learn that people can have different an-
swers to the same question, which makes you more open to a greater number of possi-
bilities for decisions and actions. However, bear in mind that opening up to more possibil-
ities can often seriously undermine one’s basic beliefs about how the world works. This is
why a time of lively intercultural learning must be accompanied by appropriate reflection
and support, if possible from someone who already has such experience.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication is the ability to get your thoughts across to others. This is particularly put
to the test during a youth exchange when you work closely together with others. Group
members need to coordinate things with each other, they explore the different topics that
brought them together, and at the same time try to fit all this into their existing knowledge
and views of the world.
Usually, communication does not take place in the mother tongue but rather in a chosen
working language. This sets new challenges to participants (and leaders), since they
need to translate their thoughts into words in a different language, which may not have all
the concepts they know from their mother tongue. Moreover, recognising and interpret-
ing the concepts behind the words develops communication competences in foreign
languages and helps face the diversity of concept definitions in an intercultural environ-
ment.
Another essential element of communication is respect. Respect towards diversity has
already been mentioned under intercultural learning, however it is important to stress
here that communication is impossible without respect.
A specific aspect is communication between the group taking part in an exchange and
the outside world. The hosting environment often needs an explanation, who you are
and why you are there – partly for the environment to better understand the needs of the
group and partly because you wish to spread the news and outcomes of your common
endeavours as you go along.
IMPLEMENTATION
COOPERATION IN AN INTERCULTURAL SETTING
Cooperation can be a challenge in any group, and an intercultural setting only increases
this challenge. By working together, participants learn empathy to be able to understand
the needs of others. Taking care of understanding and communication is already men-
tioned above.
Furthermore, everyone involved learns to be responsible, as this is the only way to
achieve (together) the goals you have set.
SUBJECT-RELATED COMPETENCES
Youth exchanges are always designed around a particular topic. A large part of the learn-
ing is related to the subject of the exchange, be it environment, youth work, theatre or
food.
LEARNING ABOUT THEIR OWN LEARNING
Learning, as a key element in the whole project, is very intensive in this phase. People
are often pushed in the learning zone already by leaving home. Everything that goes on
during the youth exchange only intensifies the learning experience. Participants need
enough support – both in the form of different methods for group or individual reflection
– as well as enough space for a retreat from the group if needed.
The first independent trip abroad is often a major challenge for young people. It is quite
common that fear makes them cancel their participation just before the exchange. Nev-
ertheless, their overall experience with the project can be positive, since only thinking
about going may already have helped them start making changes that will show over
time.
It would be hard to overemphasize the role of monitoring and reflection of an individual’s
HOW TO SUPPORT THEIR experience in youth exchanges, as this is the only way to translate experience into ab-
LEARNING PROCESS? stract concepts as you go along and relate them to other known things. Here are a few
methods that can help in this process.
ECHOING THE DAY IN 6 SENSES
The method is based on six unfinished sentences, based on the five senses and intuition.
Ask the participants to finish the sentences with how they experienced the day.
I saw...
I heard...
I felt...
I smelled...
I tasted...
I felt intuitively...
The sentences can be used in individual or group reflection. However, you must ensure
your participants the space for presenting the fruit of their contemplation and support if
they need it.
59
 IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION

MANDALA The role of a youth leader at a youth exchange is to ensure the framework is followed so
Mandalas can be used both for starting and for reflection because their open structure WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A that the young people can use their time together to experience, perceive and learn as
enables the thinking process. Participants can write in them, colour them, see new struc- YOUTH LEADER IF THE much as possible. If the youth exchange was really designed as a participative process
tures in them, etc. from idea to implementation, the role of the youth leader is to serve as a catalyst for the
PROGRAMME WAS PREPARED processes, to hold a mirror for the young people to help their learning, and to ensure
At the beginning of an event or at the start of the day, you can use them to look for chal- BY THE YOUNG PEOPLE? their safety as the more experienced person.
lenges, objectives or areas where you wish to make progress. Participants write these
into their mandalas, connect them and so on.

For reflection, you can pose different questions or give instructions: “In the inner leaves,
write how you saw yourself today, in the circles how you saw the group and in the outer
leaves how you perceived what was going on.” or “Use the mandala to present how you
view this day. (You can colour them, add things, write in them and so on.)” or “In small
groups, create a mandala to present what you have learnt.”

COLLAGE OF IMPRESSIONS
This method can also be used for individuals or groups. Ask the participants to present
their view on an issue with a collage of pictures. This way, they transform their thoughts
into images, which can convey more than words. Making a collage is also a motor activity,
as it involves cutting, gluing and (if this is the concept) moving around the room. Working
with images helps people who mainly think visually, but it will also help you avoid resis-
tance like: “I don’t want to, I can’t draw.”

LEARNING JOURNAL
A learning journal is a tool for an individual. Throughout the youth exchange (or through-
out the project), participants can use it to write down, draw or mark in any way their
findings, the challenges they mastered and other learning moments. At the end of the
process, this can be a great tool for reflection and for testing whether the learning objec-
tives set at the beginning of the process have been achieved.

A learning journal can also include some pre-prepared questions to give reflections
more structure.

BLOG
A blog can also serve as a learning journal, just that it is in digital form and can be shared
with a larger group of people. Participants can use it to post photos, thoughts, reflections,
insights and other pieces of information related to the whole process.

An interesting example was a blog by a volunteer, who did her European Voluntary Ser-
vice with an organisation in Slovenia. She chose the country’s tourism promotion slogan
“I feel Slovenia” as the motto for her reflections. Every day, she started her post with “I
feel…” to present her overall impression of the day.

60 61
 IMPLEMENTATION
In the implementation phase, creating the environment of mutual acceptance and un-
HOW DO WE INCLUDE derstanding is vital in order to get the best possible results out of the learning process
YOUNG PEOPLE and ensure the genuine participation of the young people. Support in assertive commu-
nication, having a meta view of the situation, and overcoming the individual and group
IN THIS PHASE? challenges is often welcomed by the participants.
Usually in the implementation phase it is time to recheck the exclusion elements of the
group members and so monitor and adapt the environment in order to provide the pos-
sibilities to change patterns of living.
During the implementation phase exclusion of certain individuals or groups might hap-
pen. Although they might be an integral part of their national group, in the big group their
inclusion might regress. The measures to facilitate their inclusion need to be prepared
and implemented. In terms of methods and tools used it often means a lot of effort is in-
vested into the group building in order to ensure that everyone feels a part of the group.
While in the previous phase the safety and security of the process was planned and pre-
pared, it is now time to implement the measures in order to invite the participants to exit
their comfort zones but at the same time feel secure enough to be able to learn.
An important element of support for inclusion when working with young people with
fewer opportunities is having an attitude that their need is a reality and accommodating
it is not a ‘drama’ or special effort but is the same as catering for all the other needs (like
food, rest, learning and fun).
62
IMPLEMENTATION
Intercultural learning is learning through and not ( just) about. It means living an encounter
HOW DO WE FACILITATE with people from different cultures and through personally engaging and challenging
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING oneself.
IN THIS PHASE? Having this in mind, the main experiences related to intercultural learning will happen
during the implementation of the youth exchange. It is at this time of engaging and learn-
ing together that the young people will put faces to the names of those from different
19
countries.
For more information please consult
Experiential Learning Cycle by David A.
Kolb. While the young people’s experiences will be intensified during the implementation, the
whole process through all 6 phases will help them really embrace intercultural learning
and go through all the steps of the experiential learning cycle.19 However, facilitation of
intercultural learning is perhaps the most challenging in the implementation phase.
CHALLENGING NATURE OF INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Intercultural learning, if not facilitated can stay on the level of perceived behaviours,
which can lead to reinforcing stereotypes. Also if young people go deeper in their ex-
ploration of differences, values and behaviours, it can lead to significant tensions or even
clashes! Both of these can trigger cultural shock. With good preparation and facilitation,
this should not happen, but it is important to have it mind.
Regardless of the topic, intercultural learning needs to be facilitated continuously. Not just
through the ‘intercultural evenings’ where senses are activated through different tastes,
smells, sounds, etc. from different cultures, but through specifically designed activities.
Bearing in mind that intercultural learning is learning ‘through’, the programme should
contain activities that will allow young people to interact on a deeper level and challenge
their own values and beliefs. That means that both young people and their leaders will
have to be engaged in supporting intercultural leaning to fulfil its potential.
Another challenge young people might face is that diversity will be present in all aspect
of their youth exchange experience: living together, eating together, working together,
having fun together, sharing emotions together. And as prepared as they might be, at
times that can be overpowering. Hence, it is essential to find a balance between stretch-
ing participants and providing them comfort spaces. One of the examples for this is hav-
ing daily meetings in the country group with their respective leader.
Finally, it is important to remember that one of the greatest challenges of engaging in in-
tercultural learning is tackling the cultural patterns that are learnt but not fully understood.
When young people resist the diversity and are unable to find arguments for it, some of
the sentences that can be expected are: It has always been done like this! It is known!
This is (not) normal! Although this shows a defence mechanism in refusing different worl-
dviews, it also represents a window for learning, especially on the level of attitudes (in
relation to values and beliefs). Getting participants to face their patters is not always easy,
but it is rewarding and can mean a big breakthrough in terms of intercultural learning.
63

A FINAL EVALUATION?
conclusion
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
• WHY DO WE NEED A FINAL EVALUATION?
• WHO WRITES THE FINAL REPORT?
• WHICH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE
COLLECTED?
• COMMUNICATION WITH PARTNERS AFTER THE
PROJECT?
• THE YOUTH GROUP HAS NEW IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE
– WHAT TO DO WITH THEM?
• OH, WHAT ABOUT DONORS AND OTHER PARTNERS?
• WHY CELEBRATE? WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK WITH THE
CONCLUSION AND THE PROJECT WAS NOT PERFECT.
• HOW TO SUPPORT THE TRANSFER OF WHAT YOUNG
PEOPLE HAVE LEARNT INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES?
• WHO DOES THE EVALUATING AND HOW?
WHICH SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN
IN THE CONCLUSION PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER IN THE
CONCLUSION PHASE?
• HOW DO WE INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS PHASE?
• HOW DO WE FACILITATE INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN
THIS PHASE?
64
CONCLUSION
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
The evaluation at the end of the project is most beneficial to those who carried out the
WHY DO WE NEED project. When you reflect on an experience after a few days, once the feelings have
settled and you can also see it from the perspective of everyday life, you can learn a
great deal that will help you improve your future work. Evaluation encompasses several
aspects that help create a comprehensive picture of a project.
• Participants can tell each other and their youth leader how they see their common
experience, recognising in it potential for the future – both for individuals and the
group
• The youth leader can raise awareness about what has been learnt and incorporate
the learning outcomes in the vision of future life and work
• The youth leader can recognise what was done well and what could be improved. It
also helps in understanding the broader framework – their work as a whole
• It serves as a foundation for planning any next steps, based on the experience and
the needs expressed by the participants during the exchange
The final evaluation also provides information for financial supporters. It helps them see
whether their money reached the results agreed on and at an appropriate level of quality.
The final report is prepared by the applicant in cooperation with the partners after fin-
WHO WRITES THE ishing the evaluation. Each partner can take a part of the report or they can each write a
FINAL REPORT? part of the answer from their perspective. Partners can also hold a Skype conference to
discuss what to write under each question. The applicant is responsible for bringing the
text to its final form. Before the report is filed, it should be sent to the partners for them
to review.
This question should be considered in the preparation phase so that the documents are
collected as the project progresses and that all the partners know what they need to
collect. If this is postponed until the end, it often happens that things get lost and cannot
be found when they are needed. It is advisable that during the actual youth exchange the
COLLECTED? applicant collects and collates all the documents amassed up to that point.
Necessary documents to be collected: all invoices and receipts of all expenditure, proof
of travel, pictures and video material, media reports on the project, participant signature
lists, summaries of intermediate reflections and evaluations, records of changes in the
programme, participants’ evaluations, notes from the evaluation by the leaders before
their departure from the exchange.
65
 CONCLUSION
After the project, each partner organisation decides to what extent and how it will main-
COMMUNICATION WITH tain communication and relations with the other project partners. The applicant is respon-
PARTNERS AFTER sible for writing the report and collecting the outstanding supporting documents – the
better the communication, the easier this will be to do. Good communication can also
THE PROJECT? lead to the development of new ideas – more about this in the chapter on dissemination
of results.
What about the communication between participants from different partner countries? The
ones that really bonded will keep in touch on their own. If the groups did not get along too
well, it makes no sense to force them to maintain communication after the exchange. But
if there is an interest to keep in touch, leaders can support participants by helping them to
think in what way they can maintain the relationships. Likes and comments in social net-
works are part of the relationship, but a quality relationships will tend to need more. This
can be encouraged by getting them to talk to each other about what they do and to think
about whether they wish to do anything else together in the future, etc.
Drafting new ideas is a similar process to that at the beginning of the exchange project.
THE YOUTH GROUP HAS NEW The difference is that the group now has experience of being together and has learned
to build new ideas together. The project has taught them a lot about each other and
IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE – themselves. If misunderstandings were resolved as the project progressed then they
WHAT TO DO WITH THEM? also grew as a group. They have new international experience and all this can be a
sound basis for working as a team on new ideas, which they will see as their own. Such
ideas bring the most motivation for working together.
Just like at the outset of the project, as the youth leader you can help the youth group
with creative methods and encourage them to come up with ideas. They can also be
encouraged and supported in having communication with participants from the other
countries. It is important to allow them to dream impossible ideas – they already know
how to make some of them true – and support them in translating their ideas into con-
crete activities. This is the beginning of a new project process!
If the members of the group are in a transition period (from primary to secondary school
or from secondary school to university), it is OK to develop ideas, but it is important to
be aware that their lives can change quite drastically in this period. This could mean that
some will be able to follow the plans and others will not. It makes no sense to force them
to realise plans that were drawn up under different circumstances, but they can always
be invited to take part.
66
CONCLUSION
It is important to thank everyone involved in the project and who supported the project.
OH, WHAT ABOUT DONORS With some, you might have already agreed to do a presentation of results for them, with
AND OTHER PARTNERS? others there should be at the least a thank-you letter sent. If you wish to build relation-
ships further, you can thank them in person and give them a present to show your appre-
ciation – most appropriate presents are related to the exchange (e.g. project results, a
T-shirt of the exchange, etc.).
If you prepare a presentation of the exchange, you should invite all the partners to show
them the achievements and outcomes. Enthusiastic participants are most likely to get to
people, so they should do the talking. Encourage the youth group to talk to the partners
also about informal activities – who will talk to whom can be assigned in advance. If need-
ed, the youth leader can be present to represent the entire organisation.
Celebrating is an important part of the project and is a sign of appreciation for the co-
WHY CELEBRATE? operation. Even if you have reasons not to be really satisfied, celebrations are important
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK because they are a recognition of everyone’s effort invested in the project. A celebration
could take place in the short time spent together following the evaluation or more time
WITH THE CONCLUSION could be arranged to look at pictures and relive memories from the exchange. If a cele-
AND THE PROJECT WAS bration is combined with the presentation of the project, you should plan the celebration
NOT PERFECT. part towards the end when the group will be alone, since this was their common experi-
ence. This also allows every group member to be noticed – and each individual should
get some acknowledgement to give them new impetus for the future.
Real learning mobility takes place when the defined learning outcomes are transferred
HOW TO SUPPORT THE into the lives of the participants. This requires a process that goes from recognition and
turning concepts into words to the transfer and translation of what has been learnt.
TRANSFER OF WHAT YOUNG
PEOPLE HAVE LEARNT INTO Each step is important for the process. Recognition allows the young person to become
THEIR DAILY LIVES? aware of the experience. Turning it into words gives a name to every particular experi-
ence, relating it to what they already know or have experienced before. It helps them put
things into place, which leads to the next step – figuring out how to use the experience.
Some of the possibilities will be very obvious (use in similar situations), but to get to some
ideas it is good to have support to start thinking of different situations. The group can be
challenged to think of unfamiliar scenarios, as they are unlikely to come up with situations
they do not know. The final step is trying to translate the learning outcomes into the lan-
guage of those they will talk to. This also helps the young people in the writing of their
Youthpass. We will later come back to this topic with more ways to support this process.
67
 CONCLUSION CONCLUSION

WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THE CONCLUSION PHASE?

The youth leader should evaluate: After the youth exchange, the project enters the concluding phase. Upon returning
WHO DOES THE EVALUATING • Project results WHAT DO THEY LEARN home, you first rest and then start arranging the material and supporting documents, writ-
AND HOW? • Objectives achieved (what has been achieved and to what extent compared to the IN THIS PHASE? ing thank-you letters to donors and sponsors, and preparing the final report. Evaluation is
plans) carried out in the group and with the partners, this evaluation may bring you to proposals
• Methods of work and cooperation for new projects. It is important that in the evaluation the young people cover the whole
• What the participants and organisations gained with the project learning process and celebrate the project.
• Financial aspects of the project (how the funds were spent, where you could save or
spend more, where could additional funds have come from) Usually, this time is also used to prepare presentations of the project, but you can read
more about this in the next chapter.

Young people learn or strengthen:

Evaluating is done by everyone involved in the project REFLECTION AND EVALUATION
Reflection plays an essential role in the learning process (as we have seen already in
Local partners in the project the implementation phase), since it helps recognise what has been learnt. In this phase,
young people can reflect on themselves throughout the entire process and learn to sum-
Participants – marise how the whole experience affected them. As part of the evaluation, they practice
for themselves Participants and the same process for the cooperation of the groups and the project as a whole. The
and as a youth leaders All partners together – more the young people are involved in the creation and implementation of the exchange,
group together in each participants and youth Financial supporters/ the richer the fruit of the learning process they will be able to reap. When evaluating the
Youth leaders
country group leaders sponsors (upon receiving project, they give each other feedback – if you direct them into encouraging information,
a report) they will learn about their strengths, which they can further boost, and they will gain con-
fidence. They learn how to evaluate a common experience together, which helps them
think about new ideas. Furthermore, this strengthens their social and civic competences,
Individuals can make evaluations from their personal perspective; what happened to
entrepreneurship, confidence and ability to work in a team.
them, what they achieved, what motivated or kept them back, how they feel about the ex-
change, etc. A group evaluates; how the cooperation was throughout the project, where
SORTING DOCUMENTS AND WRITING REPORTS
were the strong and weak points, how they worked with the partner groups, what they
HOW WAS THE COOPERATION The documents collected during the project are sorted and arranged in this phase, so
achieved together and how they can use the outcomes, what kind of relationships do
OF GROUPS FROM DIFFERENT that the files are clear and orderly, and can be used and understood, even in five years.
they have now, how and where do they wish to work together again and so on. Leaders
COUNTRIES? By doing this, young people learn responsibility, consistency and order. Writing reports
can evaluate together; the outcomes of the exchange for the participating organisations
helps them in summarising, synthesising and considering different aspects of the same
– future projects, relations with the community, work methods for the future, etc.
event. They learn to be precise in submitting files, which also contributes to better coor-
dination among partners. Since many things in youth exchanges do not go according to
And how can these evaluations be conducted? The most common way is using question-
plan, this strengthens their responsibility in facing the consequences when presenting
naires – but you should try to make them short. If you know what information you need
Example: this in the report. Although the group already had to face consequences during the ex-
and how you will use it, you can often use different ways: interviews, symbolic methods
A participant helped prepare the change, this also needs to be presented in the report.
(visual material, motion methods, photos, etc.), observation, focus groups, etc. Read more
about supporting the recognition of learning under the next questions. financial plan for the project, took
care of the finances and collection RECOGNISING LEARNING OUTCOMES, PUTTING THEM INTO WORDS,
of invoices during the exchange, put TRANSFERRING AND TRANSLATING THEM
If you wish to get the most out of the evaluation, you should think about how to carry it
the documents in order and helped The young people are once again engaged in all the steps and carry them out with the
out. People feel most encouraged if you focus on the strong points and build on positive
in preparing the financial section of support of their youth leader in order for them to learn the most. Furthermore, they can
experiences. Of course, you also need to take a look at what should be improved – here
the report. When talking to parents, be supported in the reflection of their own learning process in concrete ways so that they
you can either focus on the negative side or ask what could have been done better. Try
friends, a fellow volunteer or a poten- recognise what they have learnt, put it into words, translate it into their lives and try to
to avoid being cheesy in exaggerating the positive view, but also don’t exaggerate the
tial employer, the participant will use a see where they will be able to use it and how they will present it to different people. This
negative aspects, as they only account for part of the project. Try to have every partici-
slightly different language each time helps young people in preparing their Youthpass.
pant hear something encouraging about them as an individual along with their recogni-
tion of learning outcomes. for presenting the learning outcomes.
68 69
 CONCLUSION
HOW THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF A YOUTH EXCHANGE PROJECT TAKES PLACE
If they are involved in shaping the entire youth exchange, young people can learn from
this experience, how to carry out an entire project from the idea to the conclusion. In-
dividual participants may not have taken part in every step but they all know the whole
project because they designed it together. They learnt why particular activities are need-
ed. The first experience may be more superficial, but each new experience reveals new
aspects and brings deeper understanding and awareness. To get to a full insight about KEY
the entire process, allow the group to go through the process again in the conclusion COMPETENCES
phase and help them see how the different steps are connected. They can make their
own list or a short manual on what needs to be taken care of in each phase.
MAINTAINING CONTACT WITH THE NETWORK OF PARTICIPANTS 01
Everyone has gone home, but the memories are still alive. How to stay in touch? The Communication in
ones who became close will find a way to stay in touch. But participants can also learn the mother tongue
how to maintain contact. You can use social networks, a common website, the group can
get in touch with another group each time they meet. If they keep in touch, they are more
likely to develop ideas for cooperation again in the future – if this is what they want of
course. Participants can learn the difference in various types of contacts – what it means 03
to be connected in a social network or really maintain a relationship. Such an experience Mathematical
can strengthen their sense of entrepreneurship, social, civic and digital competences. competence and
basic competenc-
es in science and
Most of the learning process related to the youth exchange is over by now and you technology
HOW TO SUPPORT should support the group to take another look at the whole trip. The learning does not
stop here but it is essential for all future steps and the use of learning outcomes that the
THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
young people stop and look back to where they have come from. Even within the youth
exchange project, their learning process may still be lively – with project presentations,
cooperation with partners on the exploitation of results, maintaining communication with 05 Learning to learn
different partners, and looking for ways to realise new ideas, etc. In a way, the youth ex-
change can sometimes be only the beginning of a journey.
One of the possible ways of figuring out what has been learnt is the ‘confession room’ – a
room where participants go alone to make a video with their thoughts on the exchange.
This allows them to be alone and at the same time use a medium that is often close to
Sense of initiative and
entrepreneurship
them. They can answer different questions like: What will you remember the most from
the exchange? What was the biggest challenge for you? Did anything special happen
because the other participants in the exchange were from Finland, Armenia and France? 07
What is different for you after the exchange? Is there an experience you would not wish
to miss? Give them one or two questions to answer. You can also offer them unfinished
sentences like: Now I can…; I surprised myself… If they wish, their video confessions can
also be used for promoting the project.
The questions and unfinished sentences above can also be used for young people to
make collages, and photo novels, etc. Use the material that will allow them to express the
different dimensions and aspects of what they have learnt.
70
CONCLUSION
The group members can make interviews with each other. They can make them in threes:
one asking the questions, the second answering them and the third writing down the an-
swers so the interviewee can use them later.
Sample questions:
• What will you remember the most from the exchange?
• What was the biggest challenge for you?
• Did anything special happen because the other participants in the exchange were
from Finland, Armenia and France?
• What is different for you after the exchange?
• How do you see yourself now?
• Is there an experience you would not wish to miss?
• Which of the new things for you from the exchange do you wish to/will you continue
using?
02 • In which situations will the insights and experience from the exchange be most
useful?
Communication in
foreign languages
• In which moments did you learn the most? What happened then? What helped you
remember?
• What would you tell your friends was most beneficial for you in the exchange?
• What do you like the most in; the group work/holding international events/preparing
a plan and finances/exploring ideas, etc.?
04 You can make groups of three for telling stories. You can ask them: “Tell us about an
experience from the exchange when something difficult needed to be done or said and
Digital competence you mustered up the courage and did it. What happened and how is it still part of you?”
The first one tells the story, the second one listens as a witness who will later highlight the
strengths in the story, and the third one will pick the fruit and list what they all can learn
from the story. They rotate through all three roles and at the end pick, for example, three
things from the stories that everyone could learn from, and share them with all the others.
You can also make interviews with the youth leaders playing different roles and the par-
ticipants talking to them. The youth leader can play a manager of a company working
in the same field as the exchange or an artist who wants to present the results of the
06 exchange, a former teacher, a university professor, a journalist doing an article on the
topic of the exchange, a friend, etc. (the topics are chosen based on what will help the
young people most to understand and contemplate on the use of what they have learnt).
Cultural awareness and When young people see what they have learnt, you can also introduce them to the
expression concept of the eight key competences. Make an attractive picture or model of the com-
petences and go through what each of them means. Then, invite them to arrange their
learning outcomes in the framework of these competences. Once they are done, you
can talk through any misunderstandings or trouble they had. Help them see that the
08 same situation can be viewed from different angles, so they can classify their learning
outcomes under more than one competence – if they have not figured this out on their
Social and civic own already. Encourage them to use the framework to think about whether they have
competences learnt anything else they have not thought about.
71
 CONCLUSION
One of the important parts of using learning outcomes is their transfer into everyday life.
Where can I use what I have learnt? The first answer is everywhere. Really. But it is also
true that people are concrete beings, so practicing with the concrete examples is helpful
when you encounter concrete situations. It is good to let young people translate their
learning outcomes into different situations and reconsider what they have really learnt.
First, help them figure out what they have really learnt. Then you can give them a large
attractive worksheet where they should imagine situations in which to use it.
I experienced…
Now I know… You can also combine the reflection with a presentation of the project. Participants can
Now I can… write a blog/travelogue, where they also include a chapter ‘The changes in me’.
In all these options, note that people reflect in different ways: some wish to talk while
others prefer to do it alone in silence and then listen to others. You can combine different
methods so that everyone gets what they prefer. You should be careful not to be too
short or too long, especially if group members are not used to lengthy reflections. Using
I can use this… symbol-based ways of expression (e.g. pictures, photo novels, movement, etc.) usually
helps individuals recognise aspects that would otherwise go unnoticed. An important
part of reflection is talking to each other, as you can learn a lot from each other – when
listening to each other, making summaries, etc.
Write concrete situations when you can
use what you have learnt.
AT WHAT I LIKE TO DO
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
AT HOME
AT WORK
WITH FRIENDS
WITH NEW IDEAS
WITH MY BUSINESS IDEA
72
CONCLUSION
The conclusion phase is like giving a present: you thought carefully what to put in the
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A box, you know what each of the contents is there for or related to, you have talked it
YOUTH LEADER through if more people have been involved in preparing it, you know how to wrap it and
how to give it, and you still have ideas for other presents, which you might realise some
IN THE CONCLUSION other time. The role of a youth leader is to help in the process of preparing and handing
PHASE? over the present. If it were prepared by the leader alone, it would not mean much to
everyone else. The same goes for youth exchanges – if leaders work on the evaluations
and reports alone and if they are the only ones communicating with partners, the partici-
pants do not get much from their youth exchange and they do not recognise the potential
of the learning process they experienced.
This is why they must think together about what should go in the box – they do the
evaluation together, with the leader enabling them to express their opinions and incorpo-
rating these opinions in the big picture, while also including all the partners. The present
includes the ideas of everyone, not just the leader. How the evaluation will be carried out
and what will be evaluated can be discussed together – the leader can help broaden
the horizons of what else is possible. Nevertheless, if the group agrees, the leader can
do some of the parts. This will be the basis for the report. The leader may write it alone if
this is too difficult for the participants, but the leader can also present the questions and
the young people suggest how to answer them. Since the youth leader knows which
documents are needed and has been collecting them since the beginning, they can
simply organise them at the end and check if anything is missing. This can also be the
participants’ job. Although you may risk that they miss or lose something (which can also
happen to the leader), this will enable them to learn to assume responsibility for the con-
sequences of their actions.
How to communicate after you have handed in the present? If the youth group is unsure
how to communicate with the participants from the other countries, their leader can help
them explore the possibilities and learn about what each communication method allows.
What do you wish to say with specific parts of the present and what are they related to? Each
participant must figure out on their own how the different parts of the exchange are related
and what they mean for them, the leader is there to enable the process of self-reflection and
for the recognising of the learning outcomes. You wish the recipient to know what the present
means – the leader supports the participants to put the learning outcomes into words and
translate them into different situations where they can use them. Of course they will not rec-
ognise all they have learnt immediately and will only remember some things at a later date.
If the leader continues to work with the group, they can also support them in this. If you have
prepared the present together – carried out the conclusion together – you will also get ideas
for the future. The leader can support the group and provide additional ideas, while letting
the group decide on their own.
Giving a present without a celebration? It is important to share the joy, so the leader encourag-
es the group to prepare a celebration in a way they will feel it as their own. The leader makes
sure the celebration includes all the parts the young people find important in the group’s
common experience – for example, the leader can point to things by posing questions.
73
 CONCLUSION
Concluding the project is connected with checking the process, results, learning, inclu-
HOW DO WE INCLUDE sion and other envisaged elements. It is necessary to create this process in a way that
YOUNG PEOPLE enables the participants of the project to be involved fully. Too often we see this phase of
the project to be focusing only on the written products and analysis of the situation based
IN THIS PHASE? on written tools (questionnaires, reports…).
Inclusion in this phase can be facilitated through diverse methods of presenting the re-
sults, feelings and lessons learnt from visual and artistic presentations to drama, writing,
use of unstructured materials (pictures, quotes, puppets, mandalas…) and different kinds
of movement.
The following list of questions can help us in understanding the impact of the project:
• What are the strengths we developed?
• What was learnt about inclusion?
• What really worked well?
• What are the models we developed and could be transferred to other realities (sit-
uations, organizations)?
• What are the new patterns of behaviour of the individuals and the groups that
emerged?
• Can we continue the cooperation with these partners?
• How can we deepen the cooperation between the partners?
• How can we deepen the cooperation among the group?
• What could be the possible challenges for individuals in the group for the future?
• Do we feel more included now?
• How do I see myself now? Has anything changed?
The elements of this phase are also the ending of the relationships and the thanking of
the actors who gave support in the development and implementation of the project. For
the young members of the group it is also the time to communicate the message of the
whole group to the community and provides them with the additional feeling of inclusion
because they have to present the results of ‘us, the group’.
74
HOW DO WE FACILITATE
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
IN THIS PHASE?
20
For more informaiton please consult
Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity by Milton J. Bennett.
CONCLUSION
In terms of Intercultural learning, the first step of this phase starts at the end of the pre-
vious one: by saying goodbye to the group and the intercultural experiences that took
place and understanding how to keep them alive when coming back to reality.
The next important thing is to bring young people safely back to their home comfort zone
and help them reflect on the different experiences from a safe time distance. If needed,
also facilitate reverse cultural shock. This reflection should lead into identifying learning
insights about oneself and potential changes that occurred through intercultural learning,
which can be done through self-reflection, sharing experiences with others, receiving
feedback, etc. Having a clear insight about the things learnt can really help with moving
forward on the scale of intercultural sensitivity.20
Based on the learning insights, the conclusion phase offers the possibility for planning
future steps with the young people:
• How do I perceive diversity now?
• Do I want to continue developing my intercultural sensitivity? What will be my next
steps?
• What do I still want to learn?
• Which are things that I still find challenging?
• What do I think will still be unacceptable for me?
• How aware am I of my stereotypes and prejudices? How do I handle them now?
• Was there any impact on my identity through this process? How?
75

dissemination
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW
DO WE DO IT?
• WHAT DOES DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
OF RESULTS MEAN?
• WHAT EXACTLY CAN WE DISSEMINATE OR EXPLOIT?
• WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF DISSEMINATION AND
EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS?
• HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM THE
EXCHANGE?
• HOW TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED AFTER
THE EXCHANGE?
• WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR MAINTAINING
PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE OTHER ORGANISATIONS?
• HOW MUST THE PRODUCTS FROM THE PROJECT
BE MARKED?
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
• WHAT DO THEY LEARN IN THIS PHASE?
DISSEMINATE OR EXPLOIT?
• HOW TO SUPPORT THIS LEARNING PROCESS?
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A YOUTH LEADER IN THE
DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS?
• HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS
PHASE?
• HOW DO WE FACILITATE INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
IN THIS PHASE?
and exploitation
76
of results
DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS
WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PHASE AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
WHAT DOES
Dissemination and exploitation of results are the ways to present the work done as part
of the project to the broader public. This is done partly for the public to be able to learn
DISSEMINATION AND about and benefit from the project that has been supported by the European Union. It is
also partly done to present the work in line with the mission of the Erasmus+ Programme
EXPLOITATION and show the connection between the Programme and the European Union’s strategies.
OF RESULTS MEAN?
In general, this means presenting your work and achievements in different ways within
your environment, and trying to transfer the experience gained throughout the project
into other environments and into other activities you engage in.
What kind of activities count as dissemination and exploitation of results?
Dissemination activities include various presentations in the form of public addresses,
press conferences, exhibitions, documentary films, round table debates, regular activities
in the local community, continued activities from the exchange, etc. Project participants
often choose to create concrete, tangible (and easily measurable) products that carry the
project message to the broader community.
Exploitation of results encompasses mostly exploration and recognition of possibilities
for further use of the knowledge and skills obtained and their transfer into organisations
(if the group is part of an organisation). This transfer should also be aimed at the groups’
local community and among any other groups maintaining partner relations.
You can disseminate and exploit both tangible and intangible project results:
WHAT EXACTLY CAN WE TANGIBLE INTANGIBLE
• Approaches to solving a challenge • Knowledge and experience ob-
• Practical project results like books, tained by participants
websites, documentary films, etc. • Improved competences
• Reports • Improved intercultural sensitivity
• Examples of best practice • Improved language skills, etc.
• Flyers, other printed material, etc.
77
 DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS

When talking about maintaining partnerships, we should first distinguish the two main
WHAT ARE THE AIMS WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS groups of partners. The first main group are foreign project partners and the second
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES AND
OF DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS ARE AIMED AT: FOR MAINTAINING are partner organisations in the local environment (e.g. the fire-fighter organisation that
lent you folding benches and cooking equipment, the school through which you made
EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS? PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE contact with the children you worked with). Regardless of where the partners are from,
OTHER ORGANISATIONS? keep in mind that open communication is the key to good cooperation. Therefore, an
Developing new evaluation with a thorough examination of the cooperation during the project can be a
partnerships great springboard for forming solid long-term partnerships.
Raising awareness
Sharing solutions Maintaining partnerships with foreign partners can be a challenge because you only get
and knowledge Affecting politicians to know them through the project. Looking for common interests and shared elements
and practices in your organisations’ missions are key topics in maintaining a partnership. Organisations
Including stakeholders from twinned towns have a greater chance for long-term cooperation, since their towns
Spreading the outcomes and target groups have already expressed political will for cooperation. Such international partnerships of-
ten serve as generators of change in both local environments and contribute to the
transfer of knowledge and skills between the two environments.

A youth exchange always leaves a mark on the local environment. Part of the results can Maintaining partnerships developed during the exchange in the local environment also
HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE be planned (e.g. restoring a walking path, painting walls, preparing a local festival), while requires thorough reflection on the possible common ground, mutual support of the or-
part of them come casually through the interaction of people. These results are often ganisations’ missions and the potential for cooperation on both sides. If you recognise
BENEFIT FROM THE
neglected in project documents, but they still leave a deep mark with the people. A local common interests and complementary missions, the next step in the partnership can be
EXCHANGE? community hosting youth exchanges on a regular basis gets used to groups of young to organise activities together or work together on advocating a certain change.
people appearing for short periods of time. Shops and bars adapt to the needs of the
groups, and interaction with the local environment during the exchanges becomes less
of a challenge.

Organisations can also learn from youth exchanges. The young people and the youth Whatever you create in a project financially supported by the Erasmus+ Programme, it
leaders face different work methods from the various participating youth groups. These HOW MUST THE PRODUCTS must carry the official logo of the Programme. Moreover, texts must state that the project
experiences can be adapted to their own practices and so change the culture within their was co-funded by the European Union. Failing to do so may result in the final amount of
organisation. FROM THE PROJECT funding from the Programme being lower than the project was initially granted.
BE MARKED?
The Programme also envisages an online Dissemination platform for dissemination of
Youth exchange projects are a challenge for everyone involved. For some participants results of projects within the Programme.
HOW TO KEEP YOUNG the exchange is their entry point into youth work. Such youth groups usually require a lot
PEOPLE ENGAGED of work on motivation, since they may not have grasped the full meaning of youth work.
AFTER THE EXCHANGE? If the participants are already part of an organisation or already had an informal group
before, the experience from the youth exchange can be a great motivational factor for
future engagement in the youth field. After a successful project, young people will wish
for new challenges to test the competences acquired during the youth exchange.

After the exchange, it is good to encourage the group to take on new challenges or ask
them questions in a way that they will find local challenges for themselves. This way, you
contribute to spreading the idea of active citizenship and to an even better transfer of the
competences gained into practice.
78 79
 DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS
WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN IN THI PHASE?
The period of dissemination and exploitation of results takes place when the project is
WHAT DO THEY LEARN being concluded. It draws energy from all that has happened to the participants from the
IN THIS PHASE? drafting phase up to that particular point in time. The learning focus shifts from the group
to cooperation between the group and the community, so there are greater differences
in the learning possibilities compared to the previous phases.
PRESENTATION OF ACCOMPLISHED WORK AND RESULTS
Presenting the accomplished work and results is an activity and at the same time a skill.
For a good presentation, you need to select the results and aspects of the work done
that will also be interesting for the public, as they are the reason for having the presenta-
tion. Exploring the needs of a group you will present to and selecting the content that will
be of interest to them is a competence relevant for drawing up communication messag-
es. It can be useful to go back to the drafting phase when you were taking a look at the
needs of different groups, both your needs and those of the people around you.
Another important aspect along with the content of the presentation is the choice of the
communication medium or the ‘products’ you will use to address the community. Some
content is easier to explain with a flyer (e.g. a map of the walking path you restored on a
nearby hill), another may call for a public discussion in the local community, so you organ-
ise a panel debate (e.g. how local authorities can support the development of innovative
jobs for young people), while yet another could be to present to youth workers who are
engaged in a study visit to your organisation (e.g. to show how you really incorporated
young people in all the processes of the project and what impact it had on the local
community).
All these decisions are part of the communication strategy of dissemination and exploita-
tion of results. Developing this strategy is a learning opportunity in itself as it reveals the
functioning of the communication space and allows young people to develop critical
literacy.
PREPARING A PUBLIC PRESENTATION
Some groups choose to present their work at an event where they invite a large number
of people. Such activities enable them to acquire all competences related to the prepa-
ration of content, public performance and logistics for such an event. The preparation of
invitations is an opportunity to obtain the skills of addressing target groups and graphic
design.
Presenting the results to a large number of people can be an exercise in public speaking
for many, where they face their own fears, stage fright, and having to form consistent
and goal-oriented messages. Formulating the aims is the point on which the quality of
the whole public event will depend. Once the group has defined clearly what messages
they want to pass on to the target group in their chosen timeframe, these messages will
determine what the event will look like. A general rule for such events is that it is better
to focus on less information and integrate it well into a wholesome picture, than listing
details in a long presentation that will not spark the interest of the audience.
80
DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS
Such presentations can raise media recognisability of both the participating youth group
and the organisation that prepared the project, as well as the Erasmus+ Programme.
When it comes to the media, it is important to pay attention to the balance between the
target public and the media houses you are working with. Certainly, the reach will be
greater with nation-wide media, but it is much harder to get coverage from them than
from local media, who are interested in what is going on in the local community and
environment.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Designing messages that catch people’s eye is a task that requires extensive knowl-
edge, skills and motivation. As part of the dissemination of results, it is a common wish to
want to present your work in the most attractive way, which will also reflect the message.
In this project phase, participants often need to translate the messages they need to
transmit into the language of images and so use image designing tools. Young people
explore the use of graphic design tools, learn to use copying and printing technology,
and train in exploring the world of the people they want their message to reach.
Along with learning about the technology, technological possibilities and language, you
can also encourage the young people to develop critical literacy, which will later make
it easier for them to recognise and understand the messages from their environment.
MAKING VIDEOS
In the recent years, technology for filming and editing footage has become extremely
accessible. Many devices used daily for communication offer the possibility of capturing
sound, pictures and videos. Video editing software is accessible and platforms for pub-
lishing videos and films are public.
With a general lack of film and media education, the dissemination period is a perfect
opportunity to explore the world of video expression. They can learn about the different
ways to tell a story, master the skills of video aesthetics and the skills of editing sound and
image, which will be the bearer’s message.
Just like with all other media-related skills, working with film media on their own develops
critical literacy of the participants.
DRAWING UP WRITTEN MESSAGES
Same as other media, writing has its requirements, laws and skills that need to be mas-
tered. All the more so if you want to persuade different target groups with different writing
styles. While a learning journal is aimed mainly at putting a memory down and getting the
learning on paper, an article on the project for a local newspaper is a text form with its
rules. The same goes for information leaflets, invitations, marketing and other messages.
In the dissemination phase, participants learn the laws of writing, adapting content and
messages to the text format and target group, and enrich their eloquence in their mother
tongue.
81
 DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS

Learning in this period is oriented mainly towards the relationship between the core
HOW TO SUPPORT group of the project and the community. This reflects on the ways the youth leader can
THIS LEARNING PROCESS? support the learning.
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE TO PRODUCTS, EVENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS
Reflection and evaluation are often the basis of learning for individuals and groups.
During dissemination and exploitation of results, these processes are no longer used
only to observe the products or the results for yourself but to observe them in relation to
the community you are addressing. Taking a critical look at your products and the events
you prepared as part of the presentation of results can reveal both your strengths and
the areas that can still be improved.
Some reflection questions for
A) EVENTS
• Was the event attended by the people we wanted to see there?
• Was the number of attendants in line with our plans and expectations?
• Were the date and time appropriate?
• What did the attendants get from the event? What did they learn at the event? Did
we reach our (communication) goals?
• Was the location appropriate? Was the venue chosen well?
• How did the event hosts seem? What were their strengths? What could they im-
prove?
• What were the strengths in the programme? What could be improved?
FILMING AND ANALYSING PERFORMANCES
Performing in front of an audience is another skill that the participants of a youth ex-
change can exercise in this phase. If you want to kick the training of performing another
notch higher, you can agree with the participants to film their performances and later
analyse them. By reflecting on the strengths and looking for possibilities for improvement,
the participants can acquire new knowledge and skills in the preparation of public ap-
pearances and in actual performing.
HOW TO USE WHAT I HAVE IN THE FUTURE?
This is the essential question for the transfer of competences from the project environ-
ment to other spheres of an individual’s life. Recognising the possibilities for using the
acquired competences in other situations and for other challenges is a key aspect of life-
long learning and a person’s adaptability to the changing demands of the environment.
As in all other phases, the role of a youth leader here is mainly in supporting young
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A people in their own exploration and learning of new things, while also serving as a link
YOUTH LEADER between the group and the environment.
IN THE DISSEMINATION AND To be more specific, the leader can support the group in formulating their messages
EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS? about the finished project, in reviewing plans, exercising for performances and for com-
munication with the community. If needed, the leader empowers the group in establishing
dialogue with the local environment.

B) TEXTS
• Does the text convey the planned message?
• To what extent does it follow the prescribed formats for its medium?
• Where are the strengths in the clarity of the text and what could be improved?
• Is the text appropriate for all the planned target groups?
• Does the text achieve its (communication) goals?

C) VISUAL MESSAGES
• Do the images convey the planned message? What are the strengths of this transla-
tion into images and what could be improved?
• What are the technical strengths in the design and what could be improved?
• What are the strengths in the content and what could be improved?
• What was the response of the target groups?

D) VIDEOS
• What are the strengths of this video?
• What does it give to the viewer?
• What are the strengths in the storyline and what could be improved?
• What are the strengths in editing and what could be improved?
• Does the sound complement the images? Where does the synergy of sound and
image capture the viewer and what could be improved?

82 83
 DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS
The dissemination phase of the youth exchange is the time to promote the achievements
HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE of the project and to transfer the new insights to everyday living.
YOUNG PEOPLE
From the inclusion point of view this is the time to support the young people to transfer
IN THIS PHASE? the experience they gathered into ‘real life’. The process requires a lot of personal sup-
port in order to assertively present the needs of the young people and to take into the
account the needs of other actors in their environment.
In some cases it also means the development of long term support structures that will
guard the results of the inclusion process and facilitate the further inclusion of the partic-
ipants of the project and or other representatives from similar groups, communities and
environments...
On the other hand the process can challenge the mechanisms of exclusion, requiring a
lot of effort and energy in order to convey the message and to oppose the (likely) mea-
sures to discredit the new practice.
The transfer of practices and models developed can take the shape of advocacy in ev-
eryday situations and transfer to the policies and conduct of the institutions working with
the same target group (young people in general, young people with fewer opportunities).
The presentations and or publications about inclusion practices can be made available
to relevant public and media outlets. This can lead to the empowerment of other young
people in similar situations to the young people of the youth exchange and act as an
invitation to others in a similar situation to join in and cooperate in the future.
84
DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF RESULTS
Dissemination is the phase that requires participants to open-up to their local community.
HOW DO WE FACILITATE Starting with their families and friends, all the way to different actors in their communities.
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
By helping young people become aware of what they have learnt and motivating them
IN THIS PHASE? to speak to others, their learning often gets clearer or even enhanced. This process is
very important in order to ensure sustained impact on young people, but also to spread
it to the community.
This can be done through exhibitions, talks, intercultural days, workshops, etc. Depend-
ing on the size of the community, the young people’s experiences can have an impact
on challenging attitudes to diversity among others.
However, the young people’s return to their home community can also be a challenge
to their learning and potential changes. Their close friends and family and even wider
community might not be supportive in understanding those changes in them or appre-
ciative towards new attitudes to diversity. This is why it is important to keep the spirit alive
and support the young people in understanding the changes. Regular meetings with the
group can be helpful in supporting them on that journey.
85
 GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

EVALUATION NON-FORMAL LEARNING

Evaluation is a systematic and ongoing process during the project that includes explor-
ing and gathering information about learning, content, methods, context and results of
learning activities. It also includes the organisation and analysis of the information and the
assessment of its value in line with the evaluation criteria set in the light of the learning
objectives.
INCLUSION
The word can cover many diverse aspects of involvement of the young people in the
Non-formal learning is intentional learning with learning objectives and the learning path
for achieving them planned in advance. In non-formal learning, learners determine the
learning objectives on their own or take part in determining them. This brings non-formal
learning closer to the needs of individuals, but unlike formal education it is not verified
by broader social (state) structures. Because of this, it is often denied the same value as
formal education.
Non-formal learning is a learning process in which the role of the learner fuses into the

glossary
youth work activities. Inclusion is mostly understood as the invitation and support to the role of the teacher and vice versa.
young people with fewer opportunities to actively participate in a project.
PLANNING OF LEARNING
Inclusion can also mean the involvement of young people in general in the activities The planning of learning is a process that requires the learners to reflect on themselves
that are co-created. From this point of view the support to the young people to become and determine the desired state, which will be the objective of the learning process. A
actively involved in the processes around them is seen as inclusion. Inclusion aims at vision or clear wish of this allows the learner to determine the learning path that will help
creating the institutional and relational space in which the young people can actively them truly master what they wish.
co-create their futures.
PARTICIPANT IN A YOUTH EXCHANGE
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING A participant in a youth exchange can be anyone aged from 13 to 30. Groups of partici-
21
As referred to in this publication, intercultural learning is experiential learning that occurs pants start forming, drafting ideas and connecting with other groups to develop the youth More information about the European
in the interaction that takes place between different cultures, that is primarily happening exchange project. reference framework on Key Competences for
Lifelong Learning is available here:
on the attitudinal level and that more often than not, involves dynamics connected to
https://erasmusplus.org.uk/file/272/download.
different values and beliefs. It encompasses learning about the other but also learning REFLECTION
about oneself and questioning cultural perceptions and patterns. Ultimately it leads to the Reflection is a process of systematically taking a look at one’s own experience and test-
development of intercultural sensitivity and the ability to embrace and learn from diversity ing its compatibility with the existing mental image of the world. It is through this compat-
and integrate different cultural frameworks. ibility check that a person learns.

KEY COMPETENCES OF LIFELONG LEARNING 21 SHORT-TERM MOBILITY

Key competences are a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that people need
for personal fulfilment, active citizenship and employment. Key competences are trans-
ferable and can be used in different situations. Many of them overlap and interlock. The
European Reference Framework sets out the following eight key competences for life-
long learning:
1) Communication in the mother tongue
Short-term mobility is a short stay of an individual abroad with the aim of learning new
things, exploring diversity and acquiring competences. The Erasmus+ Programme offers
various individual and group mobility opportunities, while the section Erasmus+ Youth in
Action covers two kinds of short-term mobility projects: youth exchanges and mobility of
youth workers.

of
2) Communication in foreign languages
3) Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology
4) Digital competence
5) Learning to learn

key terms
6) Social and civic competences
7) Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
8) Cultural awareness and expression

86 87
 GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

YOUTH EXCHANGE
Youth exchanges in the Erasmus+ Programme are an opportunity for two or more groups
of young people from different countries to get together and research topics that con-
nect them. During the time spent together, they also prepare products that they present
and offer to the world after the exchange. Certainly, young people are also driven by the
wish to meet peers from other – maybe very distant – places, and exchanges also have
their fun dimension. However, the Erasmus+ Programme supports youth exchanges first
and foremost because they are a strong tool of non-formal and informal learning in youth
work.

The process starts with the drafting of ideas in a youth group and coordination of ideas
between two or more groups. The planning phase is concluded by applying with a proj-
ect for funding from the Programme. If the application is approved, the preparation of the
project, the implementation of the youth exchange and the subsequent concluding stage
of the project and dissemination of results can go on for up to two years. The key activity
of the whole project is the youth exchange, as a part of which young people get to spend
5 to 21 days together with their peers in the country of one of the partner groups.

YOUTH LEADER
A youth leader is a person who enables young people to engage in activities that are
interesting and beneficial to them and that allow them to develop their potential. In youth
exchange projects, youth leaders usually accompany the group of young people through
the process from the initial search for ideas to the dissemination of the project results.

YOUTH WORKER
Youth workers are people working in the youth field. Their role is similar to that of youth
leaders, usually the difference is in the type of cooperation with the youth organisation.
While youth leaders can be volunteers active in youth organisations, youth workers are
more experienced and often employed in organisations that work with young people.

YOUTHPASS
www.youthpass.eu
Youthpass is a European recognition tool for projects funded by Erasmus+ Youth in Ac-
tion for non-formal and informal learning in youth work. While creating their Youthpass
Certificate together with a support person, the participants of the projects have the pos-
sibility to describe what they have done in their project and which competences they
have acquired. Youthpass supports reflection upon the personal non-formal learning pro-
cesses and outcomes.

Youthpass contributes to strengthening the social recognition of youth work and sup-
ports the active European citizenship of young people and of youth workers. It aims at
supporting the employability of young people and of youth workers by documenting the
acquisition of key competences onto a certificate.

88 89
TITLE:
“Cherry on the cake” – Advice for Quality Planning of Youth Exchanges

PUBLISHED BY:
Movit, Dunajska cesta 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia

AUTHORS OF TEXTS:
Alenka Oblak, Sašo Kronegger, Snežana Baclija Knoch

EDITORS:
Mojca Kambič, Elizabeta Lakosil, Maija Lehto colophon
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY:
Aleš Lampe

COPY EDITOR:
Nik Paddison

PRINTED BY:
Tiskarna Oman, May 2015

GRAPHIC DESIGN BY:

AIKO, Agencija Idej in Kreativnega Oblikovanja

IMPRESSION:
2500 copies, free publication

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji

Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana

37.014.242(0.034.2)

OBLAK, Alenka
Cherry on the cake [Elektronski vir] : advice for quality planning of youth exchanges / au-
thors of texts Alenka Oblak, Sašo Kronegger, Snežana Baclija Knoch ; translated into English
by Aleš Lampe. - El. knjiga. - Ljubljana : Movit, 2015

ISBN 978-961-6826-21-1 (pdf)

1. Gl. stv. nasl. 2. Kronegger, Sašo 3. Baclija Knoch, Snežana
279767296
MOVIT has been performing the tasks of the National Agency for EU pro-
grammes in the field of youth since May 1999 when Slovenia entered the Pro-
gramme Youth for Europe III, which was succeeded by the Youth Programme
(2000–2006), the Youth in Action Programme (2007–2013) and ERASMUS+:
Youth in Action (2014–2020). In this role, MOVIT manages indirectly centralised
EU budget funds and enables support for different forms of learning mobility
activities in youth work, while also running activities for the general develop-
ment of youth work and non-formal education, with special stress on activities
contributing with their form or content to the strengthening of European coop-
eration in the field of youth. Publishing is an important part of MOVIT’s activities,
which has resulted in several fundamental works for the development of youth
work and especially for learning mobility projects in youth work.
www.mva.si

Along with its role as a National Agency, MOVIT also serves as an office of Eu-
rodesk, the European Commission’s free-of-charge info service offering EU-re-
lated information to young people. It was established both for young people
and for those who encounter young people and their questions as part of their
regular work – school counsellors, teachers, youth workers, providers of infor-
mation and others. When you need help in finding information, you can always
turn to your national or regional Eurodesk partner for help.
www.eurodesk.si

In 2002, MOVIT also took over as the SALTO South East Europe Resource Cen-
tre. This section of MOVIT organises trainings, contact seminars and numerous
other activities to encourage and support cooperation with partners from West-
ern Balkans within the EU’s relevant Programme in the field of youth. To help
in these activities, the SALTO SEE Resource Centre has a network of trainers,
accreditors and contact points in the Western Balkan countries.
www.salto-youth.net/see
 MOVIT, LJUBLJANA
NATIONAL AGENCY FOR ERASMUS+: YOUTH IN ACTION
& SALTO YOUTH SOUTH EAST EUROPE RESOURCE CENTRE

DUNAJSKA CESTA 5
1000 LJUBLJANA
SLOVENIA

PHONE: +386 1 430 47 47

WEBSITE: WWW.MOVIT.SI, WWW.SALTO-YOUTH.NET/SEE
E-MAIL: INFO@MOVIT.SI, SEE@SALTO-YOUTH.NET

This publication was made with the support of the European Commission and the Office of the
Republic of Slovenia for Youth.

The content of the publication is in the sole responsibility of the authors and does not
necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.